Overlord: Account Upgrade
by SonFamily4Life
Summary: YGGDRASIL offered many purchases to player accounts on the online store, one of those was a 'Verified Adult' package. Originally promoted as a "more mature, complete role-playing experience", Satoru Suzuki must now deal with a libido as an undead. Along with a more confident and less naive Ainz at the helm, how might Nazarick's story change? AU/Canon divergent. Reviews welcome!
1. Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord. This work of fanfiction is being made entirely for fun and to practice writing by the author. No money will ever be made from this.

"It was fun while it lasted... in fact, it was a blast."

Satoru Suzuki sat dejectedly in his chair at the Round Table room in The Great Tomb of Nazarick. His skeletal hand still hung stiffly in the air mid-wave in parting to the last member of the guild that answered his call to gather together on the last day of Yggdrasil, Herohero.

"There's still a few hours left..." he said, talking to thin air at the spot his friend had just vacated and letting himself speak the words he wanted to say out loud to his friend before he logged out. "... maybe we can reminisce and share our favorite memories of the guild…" the volume of his voice slowly reflecting the way he was feeling - low.

Satoru knew even getting one person to show up out of the other three members that were left was a success… but not one that made him feel great. Out of the 41 members that his guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, boasted in the height of its' power - only three were left, four counting Momonga - Satoru's in-game character. The other members slowly had quit and given the guild all their items and possessions in the game before deleting their characters. Satoru knew he might have been one of them if he'd had a reason like the others - some were focused on their families, others hadn't been able to continue Yggdrasil due to focusing on their careers, even their love-lives were more important to them.

Satoru deep-down had none of these things. His mother had passed away years ago, he'd never held any familial attachment to his father and he to him, and the closest relationships he'd had with the opposite sex was that of co-workers at his job at the office. Truly his experiences in the game with his friends and fellow guildmates filled that void in his life these past 12 years, seeing the last of his friends leave on the last day Yggdrasil was due for service left a heavy weight on his heart.

He felt moisture at the edges of his eyes in his real-world body build up as he thought about his greatest memories of his friends. From the creation of the guild from the original nine members, clearing the then six-floored dungeon complex that was Nazarick on the first try, the defense of Nazarick from the eight guilds that had allied together to attempted to defeat them. Satoru had taken screenshots of all those moments in the game and more. 'The defense of Nazarick' in particular had so many photos he'd had to purchase an upgrade because he'd exceeded the storage capacity of his account. Satoru remembered reading an article online on that event alone - nearly fifteen-hundred players from eight guilds along with their NPCs and mercenaries - if that article was to be believed. Satoru knew it was correct.

Momonga stood as Satoru tried to get his emotions under control. He turned towards the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown safely floating on its' pedestal. The Staff drug up more memories… several members even used their vacation time they had accrued just to grind the materials to create it. It seemed a shame that Yggdrasil might end before the Staff had even gotten a chance to be used. As a Japanese person, the thought of all his and his friends' hard work going to waste was almost too much to bear.

"I think I'll indulge myself just this once." Momonga said as he took the Staff from its' pedestal. One might say that what he was currently doing wasn't supposed to be within his power. Indeed, all important decisions within the guild were decided by a majority vote. Satoru knew removing the symbol of the guild from its' pedestal was one that would have required a vote. _Though technically, it still is a majority vote… _Satoru felt that this way of thinking was more like the thoughts of a dictator instead of a democracy that Ainz Ooal Gown was.

Satoru marveled at the Staffs' golden, twisted frame and the jewels decorating each of the seven snake heads a-top it. It was clear no-one else would know he might act a little selfishly today, so it should be ok, right? Momonga summoned an enchanted mirror from his inventory to admire himself for a moment. In Satoru's opinion, he looked every bit an undead, evil, badass that he imagined his character to be. If he were to face something ferocious-looking as this in the real world Satoru knew he would run as fast as he could to escape the nightmarish terror before him… or something like that. His gaze swept across his divine-level equipment the contrast of his purple-on-black, gold-trimmed robes to the bleached-white chest of his ribcage. His gaze traveled down to the slight bulge in his robes at his waist.

Yggdrasil, being a widely popular free-to-play DMMO-RPG was host to a wide variety of account and cosmetic system upgrades for players to purchase. Having no subscription fees to play the game and the inherent realism of the game were some of its major selling-points to prospective players. Free-to-play games of a similar nature often allowed users to purchase cosmetic upgrades for their accounts such as hairstyles, unique clothing, pets, etc. Yggdrasil was no different in this regard, however the developers took it a step further and offered items that had actual value in-game and were distributed sometimes as special events and prizes for contests related to the game. Items that offered conveniences such as quick-weapon swapping and allowing a one-time use of an instant-cast spell were somewhat common among the players and Satoru often spent 1/3rd of his annual salary on such items, having no other hobbies to indulge himself in.

One such upgrade to Satoru's account was the 'Verified Adult' upgrade. A one-time purchase would allow you extra storage on your account (which originally was why Satoru purchased the 'Verified Adult' package in the first place) as well as allow genitalia on your characters and allow your character to wear unique age-restricted clothing. Satoru shuddered at the mental image of his evil undead character in ass-less chaps. (That particular item, Satoru was sure, would never see the light of day from the bottom of his inventory pile.)

The upgrade had limitations, naturally. Users could not see the 'private parts' of other characters unless they themselves also had the 'Verified Adult' package. The developers still heavily enforced the 'no skin-on skin contact or penetration between 2 or more characters' when it came to the genitalia which, in Satoru's honest opinion, defeated the purpose of such an upgrade - but who was he to judge? The 'bits', as he liked to call them, were different for each race. For skeletons such as him, Yggdrasil opted to go for the dark approach, his organ was, according to lore, similar to the near-invisible 'dark mana' that made up his eye sockets and joints of his body that allowed flexibility - which made sense… in a weird way. The upgrade also seemed to superimpose a layer of skin made of the same 'dark mana' over his entire body - though it only seemed to be partly visible which it was touching something. If Momonga were to kiss the mirror at the moment, only his lips would be visible when it made contact with the mirror, with a normal free account the teeth of his skull would hit the mirror first. Though the genitalia were customisable, Satoru never really saw the point of such a thing in a video game and more-or-less left it at the default setting for his characters height and build, only changing it to somewhat above average in terms of length and girth.

Satoru was tired and had to work tomorrow, but he knew that he would no-longer be able to experience Yggdrasil again like this. After today it would be gone, so he forced himself to stay awake. _Maybe a bit of a walk might help me stay awake_ he thought to himself as he exited the room with the Round Table. As he entered the hallway that led between the 9th and 10th floors he saw several of Nazarick's NPCs waiting on the side of the hallway… specifically, six of the Homunculus maids and the Head Butler of Nazarick. They bowed as he approached. Satoru had forgotten most of their names over the years but knew the Head Butler's name was Sebas. Momonga glanced at the Guild Staff in his hands and activated one of the abilities of the staff and as Guildmaster, all of the names of the NPCs appeared above their heads.

"Ah yes, Sebas Tian was your name…" Momonga said to himself, glancing at the other maids and tried to re-commit their names to memory for a moment. _Whitebrim really outdid himself on all of the outfits for the maids… I wonder how his manga is coming along? _Satoru felt another pang of loneliness and felt that maybe if he surrounded himself with some of his friends' creations in the final moments of Yggdrasil it might bring him some measure of comfort. "Follow me." he commanded.

All seven of the NPCs nodded and stood. As Momonga continued through the hallway the NPCs formed a line behind him. Satoru looked behind himself to watch their progress after some moments of silence. He was reminded of some of the older retro games… before animations had grown so complex they were virtually the same movements as a real person it was not uncommon for multiple characters under the control of the game's A.I. to follow the exact path the player took to get through an area, creating a sort of player-party centipede. Satoru felt some slight amusement in how long a line he was leading. He had only seen a longer line as part of a holiday meeting at his office, a conga line. Eventually Momonga found he and his party in front of the door leading to the Throne Room.

Taking a moment to admire the artwork on the massive double door, depicting an angel and a demon so life-like they almost appeared real… _well, as real as anything could be in this game _he thought. At his touch, the doors leading inside creaked weightily inwards leading to the magnificent Throne Room beyond. The Throne Room was lit by warm candlelight from its' many chandeliers and on the whole the room was the very pinnacle of extravagance. The high-backed Throne dominated the room as the focal point upon a raised dais leading up to it.

Each item in the room also had functions tied to it aside from looks. The chandeliers themselves were actually defensive monsters that could summon demons and blast intruders with magic, the 67 life-sized statues depicting various demons dominating the walls leading to the Throne were all golems that could arise to the defense of Nazarick, indeed even the Throne itself was a World-class item called the 'Throne of Kings' that granted its user protections from other World-class items while seated in it. Satoru had hoped to one day be able to use its' protections to deliver the infamous 'Big Bad Evil Guy' Monologue but alas, that day never came. As Satoru and his party approached the raised dais of the Throne, his eyes drifted toward the lone visible NPC standing near it. Satoru didn't need the administrative powers of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown to recall her name for he had long since remembered it. _Albedo…_

In Satoru's opinion, though most of the player-made NPCs in Nazarick were very beautiful (or handsome, as it were) Albedo was by far the most beautiful creature he had seen in the game to date. It was also a sense of embarrassment that it was partly his fault that she had her current appearance. Satoru could remember the conversation years ago, when they were creating their NPCs, with Tabula Smaragdina - Albedo's creator.

"_I know we all agreed not to interfere with the creation of each other's NPCs, but I need a second opinion. Succubi are naturally extremely attractive and I know what I find attractive, but having the opinion of another warm-blooded healthy adult male would put me at ease and help me greatly." _Tabula had said back then.

So, to help his fellow guild member like any self-respecting guild leader would, he honored his request. What he did not expect, was Tabula to take every suggestion he had given the man… minus the cat-like yellow eyes, horns, and black wings sprouting from her waist, of course. Even her default shy smile that she was gracing him with as he moved closer to the throne was a result of an off-handed comment he had said… Satoru sometimes felt like such a nerd for finding a female in a video game so attractive.

Satoru paused as he neared the throne and turned back towards his entourage. He would have nearly forgotten they were there were it not for the soft 'tap tap tap' of their footwear in unison. "Standby." He commanded. They all unanimously nodded and moved slightly to the side to allow others to approach. Satoru knew in his heart there would be no others to follow him here. He turned back towards Albedo and after a moment, used the Staffs' administrative powers one last time to look at her settings. Satoru had never actually read any of the NPC's backstories, other than the one he had created himself, Pandora's Actor. An enormous wall of text appeared in the window that housed Albedo's backstory. _Holy crap! _ _I'll never get through all this before the server shuts down _he thought as he scrolled through the long window of text. Impatiently he flicked his wrist to get to the end and finally reached it. He stared at the last sentence that was written there.  
_  
_**By the way, she is also a slut.**

_What's this? Tabula… did you really have to go that far? I know I agreed not to mess with her settings but I had a part in creating her too, so he shouldn't be too mad if I change it, right? _He thought hesitantly before deleting the last line and replacing it with another.

**She is in love with Momonga.**

Satoru stared at that line after a moment. _Maybe this is just as bad _he thought embarrassingly. He couldn't decide what else to write so he didn't change anything else before he ended his editing and finally continued approaching the throne as he sat in it. Satoru felt that something was off as he looked at the NPCs. "Bow down." he commanded. Similar to before, all the NPCs at once bowed in the exact same way. Momonga leaned back and look at his in-game clock, seeing he had roughly a minute left before the scheduled server shutdown. _Ugh, I have to get up for work in 4 hours, I better get some rest or I will look undead tomorrow _he thought as he had trouble keeping his eyes open now that his character was seated and he felt his tiredness in the real world seep in. He heard the final few clicks as the seconds ticked by on his ingame clock. He waited for the forced logout that preceded every time the servers went down for patches.

…

…

In one moment he was nearly nodding off on the throne and the next he was so wide awake that he nearly hit his head on the back of the throne that he straightened his slightly slouched posture so quickly. He looked back at the in-game clock.

_00:00:15_

It kept counting up.

_00:00:16_

_00:00:17_

_00:00:18_

_What is going on _he thought. _Was the server shutdown extended? There was no announcement… _his eyes roamed to where his chat log was supposed to be located. Nothing was there. _I can't see my status either… What is wrong with my UI? Is this a glitch? I can't even see my basic character information! _He brought his hand up to access the menu… or attempted to.

"What the …?!" Satoru slowly started to feel rising panic as he nearly lept out of the Throne when he noticed another detail, his voice. It was far too deep to be his and the only character standing near him was Albedo and she certainly couldn't-

"Is something the matter, Lord Momonga?" a silky voice originating near him asked.

Satoru froze. The building panic he felt at his situation was instantly replaced with shock for a moment. _Wait, let's look at this logically for a second… _ he thought as he tried to calm himself down and slowly felt suspicion build in his chest. _Is a GM controlling one of the NPCs as some sort of prank? No… someone could lose their job over that. Then what- _

"Lord Momonga, is everything alright? If something is wrong perhaps I can help?" Albedo asked in a concerned voice as she looked at him in the eye from her position kneeling before him.

Being so close to her and staring at her as he was, he had no problem watching her mouth move as she talked. _That's not possible. Her mouth is moving. That's not a familiar voice and it's not her NPC so Bukubukuchagama wouldn't be able to make that sound file for Albedo… so is this some sort of beta test for a new game or patch? Maybe it is a GM using some sort of new hardware… _Satoru cleared his throat. Still suspicious if this was a GM he distractingly said, "The... GM call function... isn't working…" he said.

"Forgive me, I know not of this 'GM call' magic you speak of. Please, I beg your forgiveness for being unable to assist you as my duty states." Albedo's soft reply as certainly NOT what Suzuki was expecting. She seemed too earnest to be trying to trick him somehow and she had bowed even further until she was almost touching the floor with her face in… shame? That's what it looked like to Satoru. Satoru distractingly assured her he did not blame for that.

_I need to see if it's just Albedo and I that's being affected or if it's the other NPCs as well _he thought as he glanced at Sebas and the maids that were still kneeling a bit further away. "Sebas," he said, nearly making himself jump again at the sound of his own voice, _I need to see if he's loyal and can still follow commands… "_Sebas, you are to go outside the Tomb and to confirm the surroundings within 1 kilometer. If there are intelligent creatures outside, invite them into the Tomb. Try to keep them alive and unharmed as much as possible. Also, have the Homunuculus maids gather at the 9th floor to guard against possible intruders and bring one of the Pleiades battle maids assist you."

"As you command, my Lord." Sebas' deep voice echoed throughout the Throne Room as he and the rest of the maids stood and left the room to carry out their orders.

_So, they can follow commands not explicitly stated in Yggdrasil. There's no video game A.I. that could understand such a complex multi-variable instruction as the one I just gave him. I'm - no, we're not in Yggdrasil anymore. Is this another game? _Satoru wasn't sure if this realization gave him a small measure of comfort or worried him more.

"Are there any orders for me, Lord Momonga?" Albedo asked in her smooth-sounding voice. She seemed eager to prove herself for being unable to help earlier.

Satoru stared at her for a moment. _ The NPCs I've seen so far still seem loyal to me… are their backstories intact as well? _Satoru thought of the last line of text he added to Albedo just moments before. _Is she waiting for my orders because she is loyal or is it because she might love me? Is this permanent or can their loyalty_ _change based on my decisions from here on out? _Satoru didn't know.

"Albedo," Momonga said as he tried to keep himself calm for what he was preparing to do. "come here for a moment."

"Yes, of course!" She replied happily as she moved animatedly towards him. If Satoru could still 'gulp' in his undead body, he would have at how close Albedo had gotten to him. _Wow, she smells nice! _He thought as he got a whiff of some sort of clean, floral scent that assaulted his- _Wait a second, there's no smell in Yggdrasil! How can I even smell in this skeletal body? _Satoru felt his nervousness rise as this realization coupled with how close Albedo continued to get to him. _Is she inching closer because I haven't told her to stop or- _He had to stop his line of thought and say nervously, "T-That's fine, A-Albedo." She was so close their noses were almost touching and she still had that alluring, shy smile from before… thought now her cheeks had gained a rosy tint to them.

_I need to see what else is different _he thought. Momonga reached out to Albedo's arm and lightly grabbed her wrist with his skeletal hand. He knew he had made a mistake as she visibility flinched and pulled back slightly from him while her face cringed slightly. _Wait, did I just hurt her? I didn't grab her that rough- _Then it hit him.

In Yggdrasil, Undead had an inherent ability to cause harm to living creatures by touching them. It was a skill that could be toggled on and off, because of his constant creature-farming that he did to earn enough to keep the guild running he rarely ever turned it off as it helped to deal with creatures more quickly. He silently cursed this oversight and after focusing, found that he could still disable the skill. "I'm sorry Albedo, I didn't mean to hurt you… how careless of me." He said as he bowed his head slightly in apology.

She made a face as she bowed her head back to him. "N-no, Lord Momonga. This pain is nothing." Satoru hesitantly reached his hand out to her again and he noticed her tense slightly and then return to normal when it was clear there was no pain.

_She has a pulse! _Satoru thought in amazement. He furrowed his non-existent brows as he felt her pulse noticeably quicken. _Is she still frightened of me? _ He gazed up at her as she seemed to be fidgeting on the spot, her cheeks had darkened slightly, and her breath had quickened. _My eyesight and hearing have improved dramatically… and there is no fatigue, is this another benefit of my current body? _Satoru knew he wouldn't normally have spotted those details before. Distracted, he let go of her wrist.

Momonga could see the reflective red dots of his undead eyes as he gazed at Albedo's cat-like yellow eyes. He swallowed down his nervousness and pulled upon the courage of his past experiences as guild master: organizing raids on other guilds and dungeons, settling arguments between members - and cleared his throat audibly as he prepared himself for the words he was about to utter. _Ok, Momonga, act natural. This is no big deal it's just an experiment. Yes, it's for the good of Nazarick and Ainz Ooal Gown. If she's in love with me she will agree to it no matter what._

"A-Albedo, may I kiss you?" Even mentally preparing himself, Momonga couldn't keep the nervous stutter from his voice. "Y-You don't mind, r-right?"

"Eh?" Albedo didn't move or even make any other moment to show that she had heard him and indeed even her face had seemed to freeze. _ Shit! I blew it! I'm her superior, what kind of person am I to try to force myself upon one of my subordinates? How many harassment-free workplace laws did I just viola- _Satoru felt a profound sense of shame at this thought for a moment before he felt exceedingly calm again. _What the-_

During his self-inflicted shame, Albedo had seemed to snap out of her stupor. "Nothing would please me more, Lord Momonga!" Her smile, if it had the softness of candlelight before, had grown as intense as the Sun now. She almost unconsciously licked her lips, a fact Momonga noticed with his heightened senses on full alert. She tilted her head to the side as she leaned more toward him, avoiding crashing their noses together.

_Even though there's still a slight possibility that this is still a game… would this count as my first kiss? _Satoru had no idea how he was so calm about this. The one time a girl had tried to kiss him was when recess was still a part of his day back in grade school. He had been so nervous he had panicked even then, stumbling backwards and hitting his head painfully on a desk.

There were no fireworks. There was no sound or heartbeat inside his head. From one moment to the next there was nothing and then he felt something unbelievably soft press against his lips as hers met his. _ Wait… how is she not hitting my skull? How am I even able to feel this? I have lips? _Nothing answered his thoughts and he had trouble thinking of anything but how great Albedo smelt, how soft her lips were, and it was but a moment that went by before her started to emulate her. Satoru was by far no expert but Albedo couldn't be that experienced either, or so he hoped.

This seemed to encourage her as she leaned more into him. He felt hesitant light caresses on the sides of his face, as if she wasn't sure if she should do anything else. _Alright Satoru, if there was any time to be a man and take charge it would be now… for science _he finished lamely. He let go of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown he had been holding throughout this whole exchange. He didn't feel quite adventurous or knowledgeable enough to know what he should do or grab in this situation but judging by how Albedo was most certainly not pulling away, he appeared to be doing something right at least.

He reached his skeletal hand up to lightly caress her face, mirroring her actions at first. She felt her lean into his touch and her hot breath washed across his face as she sighed through her nose, unwilling to break their liplock. He then glided his hand to the back of her head until he came across a protrusion sticking out from it. _Ah, her horns. _He applied a bit of pressure to the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. She reciprocated and he felt the courage to do something with his other hand, so he reached up and grabbed her dress-clothed breast.

That appeared to set something off in her. Momonga had trouble keeping track of the order that the next few things happened in.

He felt a breeze and a flapping noise, like a bird, in the still Throne Room and realized her wings were fluttering. Reverberations traveled from her mouth through his and a pleasant 'humm' came from her throat as she pressed her chest more against his hand as she clasped the back of his hand on her breast and held it there. Her other hand moved immediately down to his chest to steady herself.

Or so he thought.

If he had lungs in this body his breath would have caught in his throat as he felt her small delicate hands sliding into the opening of his robes and travel down… _What does she expect to find? I'm a skeleton, I don't have a- _Momonga gasped in surprise as he felt her hand wrap around his incredibly hard erection and found her skin was incredibly cool to the touch. During most of the kiss he had felt a slowly building tightness behind his navel, as if he were trying to squeeze through a tight space. _What the hell?_ _Is this because of my account purchase?_

Because of his form he assumed it was some sort of faint impression left over from his humanity. Satoru had heard of a sort of 'ghost limb' that he had sometimes heard of when a person had a limb surgically removed and had assumed that is what he was experiencing. He knew better now. _I have to stop this. I don't even fully know the limits of my body right now, I could hurt her! _He let go of Albedo's chest and grabbed her by the shoulders to push her away at arms' length, enough that her hand slid out of his robes.

Albedo seemed to have misinterpreted his intentions.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Albedo, Momonga noticed, was incredibly red-faced and seemed to be squirming where she was standing and there was a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. _What?_ He asked himself, dumbfounded.

"My first time will be in the Throne Room, My Lord?" She asked. She started speaking even more quickly. "Yes, if that is what you wish it is no problem! Should I take off my clothes or would you like to do that yourself? Perhaps we could un-wrap each other… or we could leave our clothes on if you wish. … Though they will get dirty… no, if that is what you wish, Lord Momonga, it will be so!" Satoru could almost see her thoughts in her eyes as she grew more and more excited and unsure.

"U-un-wrap?" Momonga couldn't remember a time in his entire life that he was as nervous as he was right now. After a moment that feeling unnaturally quenched itself as he was left feeling calm again… before his nervousness resurged only to be brought back down again. Momonga felt like a ping pong ball.

He cleared his throat. "A-Albedo, my apologies, but I'm afraid we don't have time for such things now. Moreover, I'm sorry for letting my desires run rampant... I do indeed have orders for you." Satoru hated himself in that moment as he visibly saw her disappointed posture. The 180 flip in her demeanor was jarring. She straightened as she turned to her 'business mode', though Satoru could tell her shy smile was not faked for his sake, nor was the occasional twitches that ran through her body or the way she silently mouthed '-esires' several times.

"Yes, of course. I await your orders." came the reply as she kneeled back down before him.

Momonga took a moment to gather his thoughts. _My own body aside, I need to confirm the state of the other NPCs. I need to see firsthand their actions towards me and ensure I can count on them as allies in the days to come. We still don't know the extent of the situation. _"Except for the guardians of the Fourth and Eighth floors, I need you and the other guardians to gather at the Grand Arena on the 6th floor in one hour. I will inform the guardians of the 6th floor myself, so there is no need to inform them."

"Consider it done, my Lord." came the reply. She got up and proceeded to carry out his will.

Momonga waited until he could no longer hear her soft footsteps before he slouched in the Throne. _Less than an hour and I'm already feeling stressed… but there'll be time for relaxing later. I need to make sure all of my skills and abilities are usable. _ He eyed the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown on his finger. _This is as good a time as any._ He thought before he grabbed the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and activated the teleportation ability of the ring and disappeared from the Throne Room.

**A/N:** Not much will change from canon in the first few scenes, however more and more things will change as the story progresses. Please R&R. This story will be cross-posted under the same name on AO3 with scenes that had to be removed for FF.


	2. Enter The Guardians

One moment Momonga was standing in the Throne Room of the 10th floor of The Great Tomb of Nazarick and the next, he stood in near total blackness staring at a closed portcullis. Beyond, Momonga knew, was the Grand Arena on the 6th floor. _Good, the ring works._ Momonga noticed with slight surprise that though some colors were slightly off, he could see perfectly in the dark room he was currently in.

_Dark vision... what other benefits might this new body possess? I should at least still have immunity to mind-controlling effects, poison, true sight, hunger, thirst… libido should be on that list as well but that's obviously not the case. _His thoughts continued as he walked close enough for the portcullis to automatically open and continued his path to the center of the arena, the soft '_tink tink tink' _of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown against the sandstone helping to focus his thoughts inward.

_Am I unique among the undead of this world because of my account status or do all undead here have a libido as well? _Momonga could clearly see the clay humanoid golems in the stands surrounding the Arena. _That line of thought is for another time. For now, I need to review my own strength now. If I'm unable to cast my spells, as a magic caster, I will be at a severe disadvantage. Worse yet, if the NPCs see me so weak they might revolt against my authority at the very least. _Momonga stopped when he reached the center of the arena. _Speaking of NPCs… _he thought as he looked around. _Where are the guardians of this floor? They should be here somewhere…_

With his enhanced hearing, Momonga heard a distant "Huuup!" from the other side of the arena. He looked towards the VIP box built into the side of the arena as a small white/red shape jumped from the height of the VIP area, about six storeys up, completed a somersault on the way to the ground and landed expertly without disturbing any of the sand around it. Momonga knew there was no magic there, just sheer physical ability. The figure, Momonga could say with confidence, was one of the most adorable-looking children he had ever seen as she flashed 'V' signs with her hands towards the golems in the stands. One of the clay golems near the top row of seats flashed a number '10' written on a sheet of stone. Momonga found some amusement at their antics as the child ran at high speed directly toward him.

Both Aura, and her twin brother, who Momonga had yet to see, appeared to be around 11 year old dark-elves with hair the color of gold and mismatched eyes - one blue, one green. Though their physical appearances were mostly the same, they were complete opposites in nearly every sense of the word - at least their creator, Bukubukuchagama, had once told him.

"_Their relationship is how mine and my brothers' should have been. Little brothers should always listen to their confident, bigger sisters. That's just the way of these things." _she had once told him, pragmatically.

Aura herself wore a light white leather vest over red dragon scales, with the emblem of the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown stitched in gold into it. White pants with reinforced gloves completed her look. She did not wear much jewelry, only a necklace of a golden acorn dangled from her neck and she had a beautifully crafted whip hanging from her waist as she skidded to a halt in front of him.

She was not sweating but theatrically wiped her forehead with a cute "Kya-ah." Her eyes sparkled up at him and Momonga got the impression of a cute animal, like a puppy or kitten. "Welcome, Lord Momonga! We are honored to have the last Supreme Being grace us with his presence." While her tone was as respectful as Albedo and Sebas, her innocent and childlike demeanor caused Momonga to relax some.

"I'll be intruding for a little while, Aura, so I'll be in your care." he started.

"Intruding? My Lord, all of Nazarick is devoted to you. Every grain of sand here, every floor, and indeed even us Guardians only exist because of your Supreme Will." she replied good-heartedly.

Momonga could feel a reassurance from her presence already. As if everything might work out for the better… _once I have everything figured out, anyway_. "Say, Aura, we seem to be missing someone…" he hinted.

She seemed to catch on quickly, judging by her concerned expression. She turned back towards the VIP box, yelling, "Mare, you're being rude to Lord Momonga! How can you not show your face to him when this is the floor he has entrusted us with?!"

"But Sis, I'm scared…" came the light, panicked reply after some moments. _The boys' voice is higher pitch than the girls'? _Momonga thought. The siblings argued for some moments… well, not so much argued as Aura threatening to kick her brother all the way to Momonga if he didn't stop wasting time. Aura's brother, Mare, was considerably slower at running than Aura was, though Momonga was unsure if it was due to the boys' physical prowess or his wardrobe.

Mare wore a vest similar to Aura but where his sister wore pants, the brother had a fairly short skirt that he seemed to make a priority that it stayed down. His glove-covered hands were much daintier than his sister's and white silk stockings covered the rest of his legs. He wore an acorn pendant similar to his sister's, though his was silver, and his identity as a type of magic caster was proven by the sturdy wooden staff he held.

He stopped nervously in front of Momonga with his eyes downcast and nervously peeked at him, as though he were expecting to be scolded. Aura looked ready to do it for him though, as she grabbed one of her brothers' pointed ears and dragged him a few feet away with a hurried bow and nervous, "E-Excuse us a moment please, Lord Momonga." They tried to keep their voices down but Aura was clearly scolding her brother on the duties of a Guardian.

Satoru had never had a sibling of his own and he realized this might be the way they bonded together. Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino argued like this often and they were siblings in real life as well. He had a feeling this is exactly the way Bukubukuchagama would want her creations to act. After some minutes of watching the two, Satoru felt a sense of humor build in him that arose so quickly he had no choice but to burst out in laughter at the similarities of the twins and the brother/sister relationship of his guild members reflected in Bukubukuchagama's creations, that she cherished it enough to recreate it. "Bahahahaha-" he was cut off mid-laugh as he felt as if someone had dumped all his feelings out on the floor in front of him and the familiar sense of calm came over him again.

The twins stopped to stare at him, wide-eyed. "Forgive me… I am not laughing at either of you. You both just reminded me of your creator. She and her brother would act like this with each other from time to time as well, it warms my heart to see a reminder of my old comrades. You have my gratitude." he wanted to embrace them, but he settled on patting their heads instead as he put away the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown for the moment. Both of the twins looked stunned before Mare smiled and Aura erupted into some soft giggles, their cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

"Now then, now that we're all together, I was hoping the two of you could help me with something?" he asked as he took back up the Staff beside him.

"Would we? It would be our honor, Lord Momonga!" Aura said passionately. Mare vigorously nodded his agreement as well.

Momonga only had one word to reply, "Excellent."

* * *

With the help of the elf twins, Momonga was relieved that both his spells and the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown were functioning normally. Though he had no UI to assist him, if he focused on a spell he found he could visualize the range, MP cost, and the indicated target. Summoning spells still appeared to function as intended, the Death Knight he had summoned disappeared after the allotted time. Relieved as he was, a major point still concerned him.

Friendly fire.

Due to the situation earlier with Albedo, Momonga suspected he would have to be very careful from now on with Area of Effect spells (AoE). Most spells still seemed to have their desired effect intact but that was not guaranteed without further testing. Momonga was most worried about the effect of spells like Resurrection, his super-tier magic, and memory spells. _Thankfully my specialties, death magic and necromancy spells, seem to be working. I will have to find time later to test them all._

Aura and Mare seemed to be in good spirits after fighting against the Primal Fire Elemental he had summoned as a test to see if he could mentally direct the summon's attacks. The creature gave off a large amount of heat and though Momonga was immune to fire thanks to his equipment, Mare and Aura were not. They were both sweating heavily from exertion.

Momonga decided to test to see if he could still access his inventory to give the twins some refreshments. _Interesting. _he thought, finding he could. His hand seemed to disappear at the wrist and found that if he focused on the item he wanted to grab, it would appear when he withdrew it. _This seems to be a dimensional pocket of space that I am tearing open but it doesn't count as a spell or casting MP? _He gave the twins some water from a 'Decanter of Endless Water' he had poured for them. They happily accepted it. Momonga looked at his in-game clock that still seemed to be functioning and noticed it was almost time for everyone to gather.

"Aura. Mare." he said, getting their attention. "I've called a meeting with the other guardians. They should be here momentarily. I have important business to discuss with everyone."

Aura frowned. "Does that mean Shalltear is coming?" Once Momonga confirmed it again, her long ears drooped and she sighed.

_What is that about? _ _Good grief, you even programmed their dislike for your siblings' creations? _Momonga mentally sighed. _Hopefully this doesn't cause too much trouble… there's still a few minutes left, I can test a few more spells._

"_**[Message]**_." he intoned. Momonga heard a beep in his head, like the sound of an answering machine. Nothing answered him. He tried the spell a few times in succession, sometimes saying out loud who he was trying to reach, sometimes visualizing the person. GM. Player. Everyone still left in the guild. There was never an answer. In a bout of frustration he tried one of the NPCs, Sebas in this case. Immediately he heard a short series of beeps and then.

"I'm here, Lord Momonga. Is there something you need?" Sebas' grave voice sounded a bit distorted, as if Momonga were hearing him through a thin wall.

"Sebas," Momonga said, a bit startled. He recovered quickly. "Sebas, how is everything on the outside?" The answer he got was one he was expecting.

"I'm afraid we have a slight problem, My Lord."

_Slight? Hmm… no immediate danger then. _"Understood. Return to Nazarick immediately to report your findings. The other guardians and I will be on the 6th floor at the Amphitheater when you arrive."

He felt his Message spell end after a short, "Understood."

A few moments later Momonga heard another confident voice near him, only one that was not Mare or Aura.

"Well, well, well. It looks like _I'm_ the first to arrive." She sounded pleased. Her manner of speech was quite refined, similar to royalty.

Momonga turned towards the voice's direction. _I feel like the lolicon leader of some sort of pre-pubescent army. _Satori thought morosely as he witnessed yet another young-looking girl enter into the Amphitheater through the highest-tiered Teleportation spell, Gate. She appeared to be around 14 years old, Momonga knew her as Shalltear Bloodfallen. She wore a black ball gown with a bolero over it of the same color, the skirt was puffed out to be bell-shaped. Her skin was pale as wax and her long silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but it was her eyes that revealed her true heritage. A deep red pupil that was unique to vampires, at least according to Yggdrasil lore.

Once she fully stepped through the Gate, she looked over everyone gathered and once her deep red wine-colored eyes landed on Momonga her mouth parted in a slight 'o'. She made a beeline for him and he could tell with the way her eyes sparkled that it was a different way that she looked at him compared to how Aura did.

Namely, it was the look of a predator.

Much like Albedo, Shalltear apparently did not have the same definition of 'personal space' as Satoru Suzuki. She had to step on the tips of her toes to place her hands on his face in an embracing way saying, "My master, my beautiful master, the only one to rightfully rule on high over Nazarick and my heart…" She blushed, but Momonga was at a loss.

_Albedo I can understand, because of my editing to her design, but why is Shalltear acting like this? _ "I'm so happy to see you, Lord Momonga." She reached up around his neck as if to embrace him but she was so short Momonga felt more like the hanger of a swingset. She seemed to purr against his skeletal chest. _Is this the way she is really meant to be? _ That thought repeated itself several times in his skull.  
_  
_ "I'm glad to see you as well, Shalltear." he said neutrally.

* * *

It turns out, Aura and Mare were not the only ones to argue like brother and sister. As soon after Shalltear arrived, her and Aura had been at each other's throats. It was but a scant few minutes as the rest of the Floor Guardians gathered together and kneeled before Momonga as a sign of their loyalty.

Though not used to being the center of attention as he was at the moment, Momonga activated one of his special skills, Despair Aura I, to ensure he looked imposing enough as a leader, since this was essentially his first interaction with the NPCs thus far, it would be better to seem larger than he actually was. Despair Aura I instilled a chance of Fear in a radius around Momonga and more importantly - created a visible aura around his person as if motes of shadows were escaping from him... _or at least it did in Yggdrasil._

"M-My Lord, We the Guardians pledge our Fidelity!" Albedo said hurriedly as if to assure him with her words. Momonga noticed Shalltear seemed to be a little unsteady on her feet and was starting to shake. Glancing at the other NPC's confirmed they looked a little more wound-up. _I usually only use Despair Aura I for its visual effect, as level 100 NPCs it shouldn't be affecting them this easily, they should all have a high chance of resisting it. Shalltear especially, as she is also undead and should be immune to mind-affecting magic. What is going on here?_

"Guardian of the F-first... Second, and Third floors. S-Shalltear Bloodfallen, I serve and obey." She bowed even lower, her teeth clattered, once, in her jaw and Momonga took pity on her and mentally exempted her from his aura. Immediately he heard her sigh in relief as she let go of the sand she had unconsciously gripped in a vice as she knelt. She froze again before discreetly fiddling with her dress, her hands still shaking. She did not look up or move.

There was a cracking sound as the Halberd of a 7 and 1/2 foot tall creature, that looked to be the icy fusion of a mantis and ant in armor, slammed into the ground and the creature's 14 foot long icicle-covered tail was ramrod straight. The creature was, comparable to his size, bowed even lower than Shalltear. Cocytus was a physical and mental personification of the word 'Warrior'. It's deep voice echoed throughout the Amphitheater. "Cocytus. Guardian. Of. The. Fifth. Floor. I. Serve. And. Obey." Momonga mentally 'check'ed him off the Despair Aura I list, but there was no visible reaction.

"Aura Bella Fiora, Guardian of the Sixth Floor. I serve and obey." Momonga had never seen Aura look so serious until now. Her eyes were wide and her shoulders tense. She kneeled like the others, but Momonga saw the slight tilt of her head in her brothers' direction.

"I-I am the brother of Aura, M-Mare Bello Fiora a-and also the G-Guardian of the S-Sixth F-floor. I-I serve and o-obey." Poor Mare was a stuttering mess, looked about ready to burst into tears, and kneeled so fast he almost fell onto the sand. Satoru felt intense guilt for a moment before it was repressed, a feeling Momonga was slowly getting used to.

Check.

Check.

There was a slapping sound as some sand went flying into the air as the tail of the last unknown figure slapped twice at the sand around it. Standing nearly 6 feet tall, dressed in a reddish british striped suit wearing round glasses that hid crystals in the place of eyes and dress shoes, was the demon known as Demiurge. One of the cruelest and most intelligent beings in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He kneeled with rather dramatic flair. As he spoke his voice sounded cultured and refined but sinister. "Guardian of the Seventh Floor, Demiurge. Forevermore, I serve and obey."

Check.

Albedo visibly stilled herself as she kneeled in a graceful form, with the occasional twitch Momonga wasn't sure if he imagined or not. "Overseer of the Guardians, Albedo. I serve and obey."

Check.

Albedo raised her eyes back to Momonga as she clasped her hands in front of herself as she continued. "Lord Momonga, per your instructions, other than Gargantua, who guards the fourth floor, and Victim, who guards the eighth, the Guardians and myself submit eternally to your rule and await your orders."

"We serve and obey!" They rest of them said in unison.

Momonga felt as if a great weight and lifted off of his shoulders and spread his arms out with a flourish. "Excellent, My Guardians! I am very pleased with all of you and I have no doubt that you will all honor the Great Tomb of Nazarick with your actions! Raise your heads!" _This should do it… _The pleased looks on all of the guardian's faces confirmed his thoughts.

Momonga heard the portcullis of the Amphitheater open and close on its own followed by soft footsteps and knew that Sebas had returned. _His face looks rather severe, did something else go wrong? Or wait, no… that's probably his normal expression._ Sebas kneeled at his feet but did not say anything. Momonga took over.

"Sebas, while we gathered I had you check the immediate surroundings of Nazarick. What is your report?"

"My lord, Nazarick is no longer surrounded by the great swamp that it was before, and the frog people that made up the surroundings are also completely absent. We are in the middle of a plain surrounded by grasslands as far as the eye can see." Mare gasped and the rest of the guardians had furrowed brows. Even Momonga was surprised. Sebas continued. "I've searched 1 kilometer in every direction and only found small rodents such as rabbits and the like but no man-made structures of any kind. We are completely isolated, my lord. Narberal Gamma is still surveying our surroundings as we speak.

Momonga was troubled. _Some event or something has transported the entirety of Nazarick and all of its floors and residents to an entirely different place and no one noticed anything amiss? If it was done by magic it would transcend any magic or item that I have knowledge of. We are sticking out like a sore thumb right now, residents of this world might already be scouting us using reconnaissance magic. We need act quickly._

"Overseer Albedo, Defense leader Demiurge." he commanded.

"Lord." They said in unison.

Momonga continued, "Raise the defense levels of Nazarick to maximum. Strengthen our efforts gathering information on our surroundings." He turned to Mare. _I know some illusion magic but nothing at the scale that we need right now. _"Mare, would it be possible to use magic to conceal Nazarick from the outside?"

Mare seemed unsure, "It could, Lord… But it would be very difficult. However, if we could use the surrounding dirt to cover the outer walls and cover it with vegetation and use magic to cover the interior it would be much more manageable." Momonga barely had time to give that a thought before Albedo spoke up.

"You would smear the glorious walls of Nazarick, our home, with _dirt_?" she seemed to find even the suggestion offensive. Momonga privately agreed initially.

"Albedo, don't share needless thoughts. I was addressing Mare." he admonished her. He thought more on the idea as Albedo apologized. _We need to think about the long-term._ "Mare, could this be done quickly?"

"I could have it done in a few hours, Supreme One. Though…"

Satori could see his line of thinking. "Yes, one lone hill in the middle of a giant plain would look suspicious. How difficult would it be to make some dummy hills?"

"It would be a simple thing, Lord Momonga. Depending on how many hills would be sufficient, it shouldn't take more than a day or two." came the immediate reply. Momonga mentally smiled, _How like a druid to get passionate about working with nature._

Momonga decided, "Let's do that for now. Unless anyone else has a better _efficient _suggestion?" he asked, glancing around him. He was met with silence. "I believe that's an affirmative then. See that it's done, Mare."

"Ofcourse!" Mare said while gripping his staff.

"Shalltear. Cocytus. Aura. Guard the first floor. If Mare or the reconnaissance team is attacked you are to primarily ensure their safety as well as yours and if possible, eliminate the attackers." Shalltear who had been silent for some time, nodded. Cocytus agreed with a simple, "Understood."

"Now then," Momonga started, "I have one more thing I wish to ask all of you." Momonga was silent as he eyed each of them. _I need to get a glimpse of their expectations, before the fear has worn off. _"Tell me, what kind of person do you think I am? Shalltear, answer." _Your silence concerns me, but I need to strike while the iron is hot. I won't give you time to put together a well organized reply._

Momonga would find in this moment, that sometimes a well laid plan might backfire as Shalltear's head jerked up quickly. Momonga focused on her details with his enhanced vision. _Red cheeks. Fidgeting. Unfocused eyes. Erratic breathing._ Her reply was immediate. "An incarnation of beauty. You are the most beautiful person in the world. Your shining beauty is only matched by your unstoppable might."

Satoru had never been complimented on his average looks in his previous life by a member of the fairer sex and had never experienced being so heavily complimented to his face. If it was just that he would have been able to bear through it. What made him nearly cry out in frustration is that this happened after he was turned into a literal, walking pile of bones. _Did she just recover from an orgasm? Peroroncino, you made a necrophiliac. _ The last sentence repeated itself in his head several times before he could continue.

"Cocytus."

"One. Who. Deserves. The. Title. Of. Leader. Of. The. Supreme. Beings. A. Being. Of. Untold. Power."

"Aura."

"A merciful leader with a firm guiding hand."

"Mare."

"A compassionate person, who understands others."

"Demiurge."

"A leader with not only the wisdom to make correct decisions but the strength to act on them and without mercy. A man with a plan for every situation."

"Sebas."

"A merciful lord, even when all the other Supreme Beings left us behind, you alone stayed with us in our darkest time and guide us even now."

"Finally, Albedo."

"The man who ruled over all the Supreme Beings and our highest, most exalted master. In addition, the man I love to the depths of my being and the only man who _has_ or _will_ ever touch these lips with his." Albedo, in Momonga's opinion looked like 'the cat that just got the canary'. Shalltear looked shocked.

Having barely recovered from Shalltear's proclamations, Satoru could only shout in lamentation of his embarrassment. _Didn't I just get done telling you not to say needless things!? _"... I-I see! I have heard and understand your opinions. Now then, work hard to complete the tasks you have been instructed to do. Act with extreme caution for potential enemies may be moving against us even now. For Nazarick!" He shouted before he activated the teleportation of the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown and disappeared from their sight with a flourish.

**A/N:** All I can think about lately is continuing this fanfiction, and you readers that are sharing your thoughts and enthusiasm - I thank you.  
**Random Review reply: Awareness Bringer **\- First review ever. :) Your notes on some grammar mistakes were helpful. I'm having issues with formatting as I'm writing in google docs and copying over to FF so some things pass by my notice. I have a scene in mind to explain the western-japan use of first/last names. ;) Thank you very much for your time!


	3. Intentions

_Unknown location_

"Nigun Grid Luin, you are called upon to serve."

The room was dark. The only source of light came from the sunlight streaming through a beautiful stained-glass window typically found only in some type of religious church. Braziers burned in each of the corners of the room, each overshadowed by a guard in full plate armor.

The man kneeling respectfully his position on the ground, the aforementioned Nigun, kept his head down while being addressed by the Cardinal, as was customary in The Theocracy. Nigun appeared around 30 years of age, one of the youngest ever assigned to his position. He had blonde hair, black eyes, and wore a tight Black and White combat robe, the same uniform as the rest of his scripture.

The speaker, not 10 feet from Nigun, was an aged individual at least past 50 years of age, with short, grey hairs that weren't covered by the plain red and white mitre adorned on his head. He was a very thin man, which, along with his sunken eyes, made him appear quite sinister. He wore clean white robes with a single strip of yellow cloth hung over his robes from his neck. He continued speaking. "The Council of Twelve has divined the Will of the Gods. You are to go to the Re-Estize Kingdom and assassinate the Chief Warrior, Gazef Stronoff."

Nigun furrowed his brows, troubled by this news. Gazef Stronoff was no push-over of a man. Some might say that even without the use of any of the artifacts left behind by the Six Great Gods, Gazef Stronoff's power reached the upper edges of the limits of mankind, while not near the power of a Godkin, neither was Nigun.

His thoughts were cut short by the Cardinal. "Worry not, my son. Thanks to the good fortune of the gods, Stronoff will be without his equipment and with only a small contingent of troops. They have foreseen it. The Sunlight will shine upon Stronoff and find him unworthy." Nigun heard the door behind him open and soft footsteps echoed throughout the room, growing louder as they neared Nigun. Eventually they swept past him toward the Cardinal, where they stopped. Nigun heard whispers and a soft blue light filled the walls of the chamber for a moment before disappearing.

The Cardinal spoke again, "It seems fate has smiled upon you yet again, Nigun. Raise your head." The man sounded pleased. Nigun raised his eyes to meet the Cardinals' and noticed the man who entered also wore white robes and a mitre, though the strip of cloth hanging from his neck was brown. The new Cardinal appeared much younger than the other, Nigun would guess around 40 years old.

The older one spoke again, "The Cardinal of Earth has managed to secure you a tool to use from the Treasury." He paused to reached into his robes and pulled out a large hand-sized piece of blue crystal, which flooded the room again with a pulsing blue light. "This," he referred to with not a small amount of reverence, "is an treasure of the Six Great Gods. Contained within this sealing crystal is an Angel of the highest order. Even the strongest of the Six, Lord Surshana, feared its' Divine Might. This _particular_ creature is responsible for the destruction of one of the Eight Greed Kings and combined with your particular Talent, its power can be matched only by _one_ of the seats of the Black Scripture. Use its power _**only **_if needed. Take it and go. May the Sunlight shine favorably upon you and the scripture."

Nigun stood as the Cardinal placed the crystal in his hands. It was cool to the touch and Nigun could almost feel the aura of the power radiating from it as he left the room. Silence ensued as Nigun's footsteps echoed down the hall before finally disappearing.

"Have the Thousand-Leagues Astrologer monitor Nigun's progress. If Stronoff lives, the Kingdom's situation is not as dire. We have some time before the Catastrophe Dragon Lord revives."

* * *

_Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick  
6th floor  
Directly after Momonga teleported away_

No one spoke for several seconds. No one moved, as if to demonstrate their loyalty incase the master might return. Finally, Albedo was the first to rise, the others followed. Everyone sighed at once. Surprisingly, it was not Albedo or Shalltear who spoke first, but little Mare. "Thank goodness, I thought I was going to faint. That was so scary."

Aura nodded with her brother, "I think I know how a bug that was about to be crushed might feel, now."

"In. My. Wildest. Dreams. I. Did. Not. Even. Imagine. The. Amazing. Scope. Of. His. Powers." Cocytus let out an excited breath that seemed to freeze the air around it.

Albedo clasped her hands together and could not but help to agree with them in her heart, then again it was simply expected of a guardian to agree with such overwhelming might of their lord. "When he shows his true power and authority he's even more glorious than I imagined." Everyone gave pause to that. Even Albedo was surprised, the one among them who spent the most time with the Supreme Beings - as Overseer of the guardians.

Demiurge fiddled with his spectacles for a moment and replied with a simple, "Indeed."

"He. Seemed. Pleased. With. Our. Vow. Of. Fidelity. I. Hope. I. Am. Correct. In. This." Cocytus mused.

Aura turned to her brother as she said, "He acted completely different when it was just Mare and I. He was super kind and gentle, even gave us something to drink because we might be thirsty even though we are wearing our Rings of Sustenance."

"That just proves his ability and powers are also laced with mercy and understanding." Mare was beaming.

As a woman, Albedo could not help but improve her opinion of her own subordinates as they praised her beloved Lord. She fought down the slight feelings of jealousy that arose from Aura and Mare's statements. _He must see that even powerful, they are still children. He would make an excellent father._ She blushed at the stray thoughts. "It's just as you say Mare! Words don't begin to describe how incredible he was, -no, is! As expected of the leader of Nazarick and the Supreme Beings!"_  
_  
Sebas, no matter how much he agreed, it seemed had had enough. He stood and said, "If that is all, I will return to my duties. I do not know where Lord Momonga has gone, but I am duty-bound to stay by his side."

The next few minutes passed by as Albedo had started to dismiss Sebas but kept compounding additional, and often contradictory, orders one after the other, "If Lord Momonga requests my presence then I shall need shall need to know immediately before I appear before him, additionally if he requests me to his bed-chamber I shall need even more time. If he requests I come immediately without bathing I shall need to know that as well-" and the like.

Sebas, to his credit, waited some time without so much as a twitch before finally he said diplomatically, "You've made yourself quite clear. Then, I shall be off." He walked toward the VIP box that held a hidden staircase that lead further down into the Tomb of Nazarick.

"My, my underwear seems to have gone through a small, -no, a large crisis that has been unrivaled until now." Shalltear piped up without embarrassment. However - "_**YOU DISGUSTING BITCH!**_"

"Act all high and mighty all you want but if you aren't just as wet as I am after that display **you must be RANCID underneath that skirt, you wide-mouthed gorilla!**" The power of their intent to mentally kill each other created a palpable aura that seemed to radiate from Albedo and Shalltear as they glared at each other. "As a woman you should be **ashamed **of using your position to get into our Perfect Lord's good graces! As expected of my eternal rival, you have to cheat to get ahead!" They were practically screaming.

"If you weren't so dumb you might actually realize Lord Momonga values merit and skill above all else, which explains my position above you, _**you air-headed Lamprey!**_"

"_**DON'T YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME!**_" Their foreheads clashed together with an audible 'clack'. Neither one appeared to be willing to back down as the sound of teeth grinding and 'grr' filled the arena.

"Good. Grief. Is. This. Really. Something. To. Be. Fighting. Over?" Cocytus echoed the thoughts of the others.

"We'll leave it to you, Aura. Call if you need help." Demiurge stated, patting Aura before he and Cocytus put some distance between them and the standoff that was Albedo and Shalltear. The men seemed to know better than to draw attention to themselves.

"You too, Mare?" Aura had never felt more abandoned by her brother as she spotted him tiptoeing away with a '_I just remembered something I have to do, aha-ha-ha'_ he'd awkwardly said. Aura looked back at Albedo and Shalltear with a look, as if to say, _Is there anything to be done in this situation?_

* * *

Momonga spent the few next hours in self-imposed exile in his room on the 9th floor testing the limits of his new body. His bones were stronger than steel and he found he could crush unenchanted platemail with his bare hands. As he thought, he would need to be careful of his strength, he could probably destroy his own room in a fit of rage. _Though with my emotions seemingly repressed, that's unlikely._ Next, Momonga carefully inspected himself in the enchanted full-length mirror of his room, it was nearly the size of the entire wall. _Even from this distance, my character still looks as though it normally did in Yggdrasil, however… _He reached up and felt at his face as he watched his reflection. According to the mirror, his skeletal hand wasn't _quite _touching his boney face, however he could feel the smooth feel of a shaven face under his fingers. His non-existent brows furrowed in thought.

Looking this closely at himself, he could detect a faint whisp-y black smoke, not unlike that of a blown-out candle, where his hand met his face. It hovered wherever his hand made contact, and moved as he traced the contours of his face. He disrobed in front of the mirror and as expected, his form was completely skeletal. However, as he ran his hands across his chest he could feel the outline of tightly-coiled muscle underneath as well as a six-pack at his abs. The same, black smoke that had lingered at his face followed the trail of his hands and seemed to gather where his skin touched his own. _What the hell is this? Is this some sort of translucent camouflage, like a chameleon? Shit. Can I still bleed? _ Momonga grabbed a spare sword from his inventory and attempted to lay it on his skin. To his surprize, it went right past where the smokey barrier should have been and landed on his bones with a soft 'clack'. _Hmm… as an undead I do have immunity to slashing damage from non-magical weapons… _He tried again with a different, magical sword. It still slid past where the smoky barrier should have stopped it, and 'clack'ed against his bones again. _Perhaps only intelligent creatures can touch my skin? So far only Albedo and I have been stopped at this barrier. I wonder if magical attacks can affect it?_

Momonga didn't have any spells he could try on himself in the room without severely damaging it. He tried to grab one of the bones of his ribcage. His hand was stopped at the 'smoke-y barrier' of skin again before he focused and tried to move past it. To his surprise he felt the sensation of his hand being dipped in warm water as it moved past the barrier and into the cavity of his chest. He gripped a bone of his ribcage and found it was a very awkward feeling. _It appears with mental effort I can move past this barrier and into my own body. Perhaps this is some sort of defense mechanism?_ A series of 'knock, knock, knock' broke his musings as he glanced at the door to his room. A calm, muffled, "Lord Momonga, are you in there?" confirmed it was Sebas. Momonga re-robed himself.

"Sebas, I wish to be alone for a time." he said. He needed to test some more things in greater detail but he wasn't about to stand naked in front of a mirror in front of another man in all his glory. _How embarrassing.  
_  
"... I understand your wishes, Lord. However, I cannot allow you to be without an escort. What if there are hidden intruders? Please, at least allow a Pleiades to assist you…" Sebas countered.

_Escort? Just where would I be going, exactly? I'm in my room._ Even with these thoughts, Momonga felt there was some truth to his words. "Very well." he relented.

Five minutes later he was joined by one of the battle maids of the Pleiades after a soft 'knock' to announce her arrival. _I believe this was… Lupusregina Beta, was it?_ Lupusregina, like all members of the Pleiades... _Well, maybe except Entoma_… possessed an almost ethereal beauty. If Satoru had to say, if he were to compare her to a person back on Earth, she would be the sporty, fun, track-and-field type of girl he often saw during his school years. She had tanned skin and wore a short-sleeved maid uniform with long black gloves that covered her arms and a skirt that had a slit on one side to allow freedom of movement. Her beautiful red hair was done in twin braids that hung at her back and a peculiar-shaped hat adorned her head that made her appear to have ears not unlike a dog or wolf. She bowed to him before standing near the door. Momonga could feel her gaze on his back as he tried his best to ignore her as he consumed himself in his thoughts.

It was half an hour later that the awkward silence was starting to get to Momonga. He had done a few more tests and as he thought, he still couldn't use normal weapons that a magic caster shouldn't be able to use. Holding a sword or similar weapon was fine but as soon as he attempted an attack it seemed to fall right out of his hands. Every time this happened, frustratingly, Lupusregina would abandon her position from the side of the room to pick up the dropped item and place it back where it was stored. As a person raised in a Japanese environment, Satoru felt compelled to apologise each time. She did this each time with a bright smile. _As if she found the whole ordeal amusing that her master can't even hold a sword. I must look like such an idiotic infant right now. _ Satoru silently lamented.

Unbeknownst to Momonga, if he were to read her thoughts right now he would find her mentally squealing in a cute voice, "_Chehe! Lord Momonga is considering my feelings right now and pretending to drop things just for me to have something to do! "How clumsy of me…" he says, Lady Albedo was right. He truly is a beautiful person!" _she thought passionately.

Satoru pushed his thoughts away. "_**Create Greater Item**_." he cast as he immediately equipped the equipment he had just created. His form was now completely covered in a very exquisite suit of plate armor. It was the color of night with gold edging. Under the armor was a form-fitting suit that- _Wait!_ He thought in shock as he removed the helmet as it was obstructing his vision. He starred in the mirror. The bodysuit he had crafted out of habit fit his form perfectly, or rather, it clinged against his well, _weird skin-barrier_ rather than the _bones_ it should have. He could feel his six-pack under the touch of his hands but seeing it outlined by his bodysuit left him in a sense shock before that feeling was washed away. _Repressed. _He corrected. He took off the rest of the armor and each piece disappeared before it hit the ground.

He heard a soft 'Mph!' from the direction of Lupusregina but did not dare look at her and focused on himself. His muscles were tight and judging by the state of the rest of him… _I look like some gym enthusiast body-builder. _ The muscles all over his form were well-defined and, as a man, he felt inspired. He dared not do any sort of pose in front of the mirror while he still had an audience, but he slowly rotated his body and found he was impressed. _It seems to repel clothing and creatures, but not weapons?_

Had he used a thought-reading spell on Lupusregina a second time, he would have heard, at that moment, "_I must look, for Lady Albedo!"_

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Momonga re-equipped his armor. He added a red cape simply because he thought it looked cool and placed his previous thoughts back on track. He equipped one of the great-swords he had created and grasped it with both hands, raising it high above his head and tried to replicate a stance that Samurai used to use in the past on his world, or so he hoped. He tensed the power of his entire body as he shifted forward into an attack with a heavy 'Hmph!'. Muscles in his legs and abdomen tensed and coiled powerfully and he brought his arms down so quickly his sword seemed to split the air as the shock-wave of displaced energy blasted through the room. His cape strained against his neck as if it held on through the storm and Lupusregina's hat nearly flew off her pretty head, exposing her fur-covered wolf ears while her skirt and braids flapped powerfully… _As I thought, as long as a weapon or piece of equipment is designed to bypass my class restrictions, I can use it._

_I need to get away. Being surrounded by so many is starting to feel suffocating. _ Momonga thought a few minutes later. He stopped near Lupusregina by the door. "I have something I need to do."

She nodded. "Understood, then I will get your escort." she said as she moved to exit the room.

"No. This is something I must do in secret." Momonga said powerfully. Lupusregina looked at him uncertainty.

"Ah." She had trouble phrasing her words for a moment. "Please wait, Lord. It is my sworn duty to serve and protect-"

Momonga wasn't having it. "That includes following my orders, correct?" She hesitantly nodded as if she could see where he was going with the question. "Very well. Then, consider this an order. You will await my return here and you will not summon an escort." he said cooly as he brushed past her and exited the room.

Shortly after, Momonga activated the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown and teleported to somewhere within Nazarick. Lupusregina, still in the room, bit her lip and looked around the room after a moment. _What to do, what to do?_ Her eyes seemed to say, before she focused.

"_**[Message]**_" her voice carried through the room.

* * *

_This is a disaster._ Albedo was certain. A scant two _hours_ after they'd declared their fidelity, no one in Nazarick had any clue where their enigmatic leader had went. She could not blame Lupusregina, as she was simply following her orders and at least had the sense to contact her to explain the situation, but frankly as Overseer, Albedo found it an unforgivable blemish on her career. Albedo had spent the last half hour searching every floor on Nazarick and based on the fact she hadn't received an update yet, that could only mean one thing.

_Master Momonga is on the surface!_

She praised utmost depths of knowledge and foresight that the Supreme Beings were as she thanked her creator in this moment for gifting her the ability to fly with her wings. It would be embarrassing for her to run into Lord Momonga sweaty from running - since it was still unclear if that is what he desired or not. Since her mount - the Bicorn she affectionately named … err, Bicorn… could not be used indoors and she did not want to have to kill the creature for _pooping_ on the floors of Nazarick, she had to do things this way and huff it through the floors, her wings flapping powerfully.

Finally, she reached her destination as she flew over the subordinates of Demiurge that were guarding the entrance to the Tomb of Nazarick. This was the furthest Albedo had ever been outside, as mostly her duties were restricted around the 9th and 10th floors, but those thoughts were secondary as she looked around for her beloved. On the side of one of the Mausoleum walls was the tell-tale sign of Mare, judging by the soft green glow that encompassed his staff. Next to him was- _Thank goodness._ She thought as she spotted the familiar form on Demiurge and the powerful-looking figure that seemed to tower over Mare and Demiurge.

Albedo reassessed the state of her dress while she was still in flight to them and found it satisfactory, before moving onto her hair, breath, and at least ten other similar things. A few moments passed as she was close enough to start to pick up their conversation.

"Forgive my ignorance, my lord, but… why are you dressed like that?" Mare seemed in high spirits. _Of course, this is a natural effect of speaking with Lord Momonga. _Albedo could recall the feelings herself with every moment.

"Uh… well… you see…. There's a perfectly good reason for that…" Albedo smiled at the tenderhearted man she loved. _He's so sweet, trying to put his unmatched brilliant wisdom in words that we may understand but a piece of the complex mind that resides underneath._

"It's simple, Mare." She said once she was close enough to join the conversation. They all looked up and she felt her body fill with a familiar pleasant heat that made itself known every time Lord Momonga gazed at her. She landed as close to him as deemed appropriate by her position. "It's for our sake. He didn't want to bother any of us while we were working. It's a disguise. If we knew he were watching us then we would, rightfully, stop to praise him. A side-effect of this is nothing would get done." She finished looking up at him.

He seemed to loosen up his posture, and she found it endearing that he was putting so much effort to his words for their sake. "A-As expected of Albedo. You knew exactly what I was thinking all along." She felt intensely rewarded and she let his praise wash over her pleasantly.

"You are too kind to us, Lord Momonga. It is the job of a subordinate to attempt to grasp the thoughts of their superiors so that they might better serve them… though I'm sure that even just as a woman, I could feel your thoughts as if they were my own." She believed every word. She noticed a peculiar piece of jewelry on Mare's wrist. Some sort of silver band that Albedo wasn't quite sure what the function of it was for or where Mare had gotten it.

Momonga cleared his throat after a moment. "Right then. Mare, sorry for interrupting your work. Take a break for a moment and then continue your duties." he seemed to dismiss Mare as he turned to Demiurge. "Demiurge, thank you for your support and advice earlier. I wish to speak to Albedo in private."

Demiurge bowed with a simple, "I thank you for allowing this humble servant to glimpse but a speck of your greatness. As you command." and left.

Lord Momonga watched Demiurge fly away for some moments and turned towards Albedo. Albedo was busy eyeing his exquisite form, _Lupusregina didn't give him enough credit!_ It took all of her willpower to keep her from showing outward reactions. "Well then, I think you deserve a reward as well." he seemed to say. Albedo was surprised. _Reward? Is that what that strange band was? … Well.. if it's from Lord Momonga… _He simply held out his gauntleted hand and a bright red ruby colored ring appeared in his palm, residing within the colored stone was the symbol of the Guild of the Supreme Beings. Her mouth dropped open of its own volition. Albedo quickly thought she might faint. _He's…. He's… _she couldn't finish the thought. _Prop-... Propo-... Propos- _She stared up at him in amazement. Her wings beat so fast she thought she might flee the scene, but found the courage to hold her ground. Momonga shifted his body and tilted his head, giving a soft, "Hmph?" as if to say '_What are you waiting for?'._

Albedo instantly realised the predicament he was in and why he wasn't doing things in a traditional manner. _As a Supreme Being, Lord Momonga can't be seen bowing to anyone. Not in Nazarick, or the world. Not even his wife… Yes, as expected of the man I love. Lord Momonga has been thinking ahead all this time. Then, how should I react? How to make things look in the best favorable light? _

Lord Momonga, as sweet a man as he was, gave her an out. "I believe this will make your work as administrator of the floor guardians a little easier. Am I wrong?"

_My sweet, merciful… I didn't realize Lord Momonga was this… this… this cunning! _As everyone in Nazarick knew, Lord Momonga was never wrong. That he would even ask is hint enough of what he wanted to say. Albedo saw clearly through the ploy, and her heart warmed in response. '_Am I wrong?' you say. I see what you really mean is 'Will you accept?'. _Albedo would slay anyone in an instant if they were to deny Lord Momonga after he was so considerate of their feelings.

Albedo reached out to take the ring with a hand that seemed determined to shake no matter how hard she tried to stop it from doing so. Her voice, seemed much more compliant as she was able to steadily get out, "Thank you very much." She didn't think she could keep her hand from shaking long enough to actually put the ring on one of her fingers and Lord Momonga, because of his position, could not do it either. She settled for cradling it with both hands at her heart and trying to imbue the ring with her love that was overflowing from the center of her chest. She wouldn't last much longer. Already her body was shaking heavily and her traitorous mouth started acting up, "A-a-ah", "mMh", and other such sounds she was trying to hold back with her composure were steadily issuing from it. Tears of happiness were building at the corners of her eyes as she had them shut. _Should I consider myself the wife immediately, or is there an engagement? No, everything in Nazarick is Lord Momonga's already, even me. Then, is he waiting for me to go to him when I am ready? No… I mustn't keep Lord Momonga waiting. Although at least it is customary for the husband and wife to not see each other until their vows are consummated. Has the moment passed? Is this to be our wedding night?_

Lord Momonga, as if to confirm her thoughts said, "V-Very well, I will leave things to-to you. C-Continue to work hard." He walked away back towards the Tomb.

'_Very well, I will leave things to you' you say, but what you mean is 'I will be in your hands tonight.' Then 'Continue to work hard'... _ She felt the blush creep up her face as she translated the final sentence. She gulped. '_Be ready to work diligently to please me.'_

Shortly after, several of the maids cleaning close to the Throne room all reported a suspicious sound that sounded like  
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!".

When the maids got there to investigate shortly after, Albedo was already on the scene and she told them all she already had the situation under control and that they should resume their duties. _Lady Albedo really loves her work_. Several of them thought, after seeing the smile on her face.

**A/N: **Admittedly, I did laugh writing parts of this. :) Next chapter we see my first original scene of the story, hope to see you there.  
This story has passed over 1000 unique visitors. I am humbled. ^_^  
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	4. Feelings

_The Great Tomb of Nazarick  
9th floor  
Administrative office_

Satoru felt a bit silly, given his current predicament. Albedo for some reason had been avoiding him for the last several hours and the one time he had cast **[Message]** to contact her, she had informed him she was bathing. He had hung up quickly to respect her privacy. He had wanted her close-by as she was the most informed person in Nazarick due to her normal duties, but he felt this one time it couldn't be helped. They had all been working tirelessly for the past 18 hours and he felt they did need a break. He wouldn't want them to overwork themselves to exhaustion. According to his in-game clock, it was approaching evening now. As a replacement for Albedo, Sebas was at his side putting the finishing touches on the room Momonga was currently in.

As it turns out, the 9th floor of Nazarick was much more massive than what Satoru had remembered from Yggdrasil. The 9th floor alone housed all of the personal rooms of the denizens of Nazarick, so it truly was quite impressive. Momonga had expressed doubts that there were enough maids to clean everything, but Sebas assured him they would not need more maids or man-servants for quite some time. Momonga had put the matter out of his mind after that.

When Momonga originally asked Sebas where the administrative offices were in Nazarick, the head butler had confusingly said that Albedo handled all matter of importance to Nazarick within the throne room. When further questioned, Sebas had told him the only reports with a detailed listing was the expenses and such from the treasury, Albedo handled all other decisions without the use of reports. For a hardworking person like Satoru Suzuki, that had shocked him. _Albedo handles everything without the use of an office… _"Goodness, she is talented." he had said.

Sebas did something he had never seen the man do yet, which was smile. "Indeed so, Lord Momonga. No one is more worthy of her position." he had said smoothly. Satoru felt he was missing an inside joke with the look Sebas was giving him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Momonga had Sebas designate a room for his administrative duties and Sebas had informed him such a room had recently become available, in fact it was the room right next to Momonga's. Satoru had silently congratulated his good fortune in not having to walk far to his new office before he gave the go-ahead to start setting it up.

As he had entered the room later, he gave an appreciative glance to the decorations as Nazarick's furniture seemed tasteful and exquisite. Having an office worthy of a CEO of a large company helped improve the confidence Satoru did not feel within himself. A series of knocks at the door was heard that Sebas quickly went to check.

"My lord, Lady Shalltear is here to see you. Shall I let her in?" Sebas questioned.

Momonga took a moment to seat himself and mentally prepare himself for this conversation before after some moments, he gave Sebas a nod of acceptance.

Shalltear daintily walked into the room and curtseyed to him with her head bowed. "I came as soon as I could, Master Momonga."

Momonga gestured to the seat beside her and said, "Please, have a seat. I am interested to speak with you, Shalltear. We have much to discuss." As she was settling herself, Momonga addressed Sebas. "Sebas, please wait outside. I would speak with Shalltear alone and in confidence." Though she did not speak, Shalltear's eyebrows rose. Sebas hesitated, but left the room after a moment.

Momonga paused after a moment as he gazed at Shalltear. He then glanced at the ceiling. "That would include you too, Eight-edge Assassins. Or are you not confident enough in Shalltear's abilities as a floor guardian to protect me from harm?" he seemed to be speaking to thin air… but after a moment a group of seven creatures that were shaped like human-sized black praying mantis's that were as thin as they were large with serrated blades for legs, revealed themselves, likely due to some spell or racial ability. They said nothing as they scurried out hurriedly. The door shut behind them.

Momonga leaned forward in his chair. "Shalltear, I'm going to be frank with you. This conversation will likely be one of the most important ones of your life up to now." Shalltear jerked as if he had slapped her. "As a fellow level 100 undead, it's possible that you and I alone are the only beings in Nazarick whose memories I am completely confident in that are the truth, due to our racial passives. It should go without saying that what I am about to tell you should never leave this room under any circumstances. I am placing a great deal of trust in you, I need whatever you tell me to be the truth with absolute certainty. It's possible that the fate of Nazarick itself is in your capable hands."

Shalltear swallowed heavily and she felt as if the air around her had weight to it with the way she had her master's attention. _I can't fail here. I won't continue be outdone by Albedo. I need to show him I am deserving of the trust he is putting in me._ "I am ready, Lord Momonga. I won't disappoint you."

This seemed to satisfy him, "Excellent." He clasped his hands together. "Shalltear," he started. "Do you remember the great invasion of Nazarick?"

_Shit. _Shalltear couldn't speak or rather, she was afraid to. Her eyes immediately were downcast. _I knew this day would come… _she thought. She swallowed heavily. Of course she remembered. _My biggest regret… No one has said anything about my failure to stop them from sullying the great walls of Nazarick since then and I prayed I could work to redeem myself. But now… _She clutched painfully at her chest as she remembered the blossoming pain of shame when she'd been revived. _The others might have failed as well, but that was only because I was such a pathetic example. I failed first out of everyone._ Tears sprouted at the corner of her eyes. _Am I to meet my fate here? Struck down by the Supreme One... Is this why he stayed with us? To dispose of a- _She saw a shadow come over table in front of her and a skeletal hand enter her vision and go for her throat. _The least I should do is accept my punishment here._ Tears started a path down her cheeks as she leaned forward to accept her fate. Or so she thought.

The hand that she mistaken as going for the kill, had grabbed her chin in a soft manner and pulled her head up to look at him. "I seem to have hit a nerve. Forgive me. It was not my intention to bring back painful memories. Perhaps I should have phrased it differently." he said as he reached to his side and Shalltear absently noticed half of his hand disappeared for a moment before he withdrew it along with a beautifully embroidered handkerchief. Lord Momonga seemed unusually reserved as he began patting her face with it, as one might do a small child, wiping away her tears. Shalltear tried to speak, but Momonga stopped her. "Let me try to go about this a different way…" _Why is he being so gentle with me? I am a failure. _

"Shalltear have you ever wondered why you and you alone, guard three floors? Isn't it a bit strange that you are different, that the rest of the guardians each only have one floor to protect?" he said as he held her gaze.

She paused. Sometimes, during particularly self-reflective nights when she was alone she had wondered at such a reason. At first she had thought it was because she was powerful, something that her vampire brides assured her of… _but Sebas is strong too and he isn't even a floor guardian. I don't think that's the answer Master Momonga is seeking._ The only answer she had ever came up with was because it was the will of the Supreme Beings and they were never wrong. She told Momonga as much.

"Well, you are partially correct. Shalltear, your creator, Peroroncino, designed you in a way that your _personality_ reflected his behavior but your _function _reflected his values."

_What does that even mean?_

At her confused look, Momonga continued. "Peroroncino was the type of person who was passionate about his friends, something he and I share. When we as a guild decided which guardians to give what floors, he was adamant that you be given the first three. I supported him then. Did you know, your floors possess the most traps out of any of the other floors and you alone are able to fight the longest thanks to your equipment and skills while dealing the most casualties... Why do you think that is?"

Shalltear furrowed her brows in thought. "I… I'm… supposed to… wear the enemy down? Buy time?" Shalltear had the distinct impression Momonga was smiling at her.

"Correct. You are the first obstacle our enemies may face. Through drawing attention to yourself you protect every denizen of Nazarick. During the invasion your floors took down the most opponents and you personally slew 70 of the invaders before you were overwhelmed. Furthermore, the time you provided with your sacrifice allowed us to re-position or swap out traps that were better suited to certain tasks and gather information on key players that were holding together the opposing force."

"But I still failed." It hurt her, having admit that her own imperfections had damaged Nazarick's reputation after she had repeated it in her head so many times.

Momonga cocked his head to one side. "How so?"

_What is that about? Of course he knows how._ Shalltear furrowed her brows. _Is this my punishment? Proving my own inabilities? _ "Nazarick's enemies made it past the 3rd floor…"

"Yes, they did." he seemed unperturbed.

"... because of my inability to stop them…"

"I believe it would be more accurate to say that you couldn't kill them all on your own."

_Isn't that what I just_ _said?  
_  
"Let's look at things another way then, Shalltear. Did you turn you back on Nazarick and abandon it before, during, or after the attack?"

She scowled. "Of course not!"

Momonga placed his hand on his chin and looked up, the traditional 'thinking man' posture. "Then, surely you must have discretely pulled your punches to make sure as many of them got through as possible?"

She jumped to her feet. "I would sooner kill myself!" She distantly felt uncertain embarrassment as she yelled as her superior, even though her words were fueled out of desperation instead of anger.

"Then, the reason so many were still able to get through is because you surely drained all of Nazarick's resources before the fight even truly started?"

"All of the monster on my floors are-" Shalltear's eyes widened. _Pop-monsters. They all re-spawn on their own. _Shalltear looked back down at the table in thought. _The first floor traps are all the most cost-efficient ones from Yggdrasil. Out of the floor and area guardians, Kyouhukou and I provide the most summons. I summon all my vampire brides for free. That's still not counting all my __**[summon household] **__monsters that I create, and my trump card... _Shalltear's thoughts moved to the crux of what Momonga seemed to be trying to say. _Nazarick essentially lost only me… and the invaders lost hundreds upon hundreds..._

"I think you see now. The invaders did make it almost into the very heart of Nazarick, but your actions from the very beginning helped secure our eventual victory. True, you didn't survive, but Shalltear, there's an expression humans sometimes say... 'Sometimes a battle must be lost, to win the war.' To lay down one's life in defense of one's friends is the most noble act that I personally believe one could ever do in this world and you were the first floor guardian to do so, and without hesitation. Your performance to me, Peroroncino, and the rest of Ainz Ooal Gown was nothing short of exemplary. You are blameless and we could all learn from your example."

Shalltear looked down as she was so overcome with emotion she didn't know what to do. She heard the rustling of fabric and realized Momonga had walked around the table to stand next to her. Her vision grew blurry through the tears building in her eyes. _None of the Supreme Beings hated me..._ "Lord Momonga… I… I…" He embraced her then, and she felt her composure slide away as she broke down.

_It's just as I thought. Among those that died during the invasion, Shalltear had it worse than even Mare and Aura. At least they both had each other to fall back on, but Shalltear had no one... _Momonga had approached Cocytus earlier, and inquired about the experience of being resurrected; Did it hurt, did he remember, etc. It was through Cocytus that Momonga had learned that the failure to defend their floors left a deep scar on the psyche of the floor guardians. The insectoid warrior had repeatedly offered to commit Seppuku, a Japanese ritualistic self-suicide, to restore his honor before Momonga had forbid him from harming himself. Among the other guardians, Aura seemed to be not as affected but Momonga felt that Mare took his failure badly and that was the cause of some of his insecurities, Gargantua didn't even have true feelings as a golem and Demiurge… well, Momonga was confident he was fine.

It took fifteen minutes for Shalltear to calm down. As guildmaster, Satoru often was a friendly ear to listen to to those that needed it and he considered Shalltear and the rest of the guardians honorary members of Ainz Ooal Gown, an extension of his friends. _Seeing Shalltear like this, I have to remember they are their own persons too now. It was never a game for them. Everything was real._

_With Shalltear leaving on a mission soon, she will need something to help her stay focused and not let her mind lead her down the wrong path again… hmm… maybe… _He reached into his robes and pulled out a photo, one of the experiments he had been working on. In Yggdrasil, items created within the game were strictly for in-game actions. In other words, items created by other players or NPCs could not access the user account data for any reason other than their avatars. The same was not true for certain items purchased through the online store. What he was holding in his hand was one of the cash shop items that could download images from the users account and reflect it in-game. Most people used them for screenshots to make collages in-game with, but Satoru found that he could still access his files from his extra storage on his account since being transported to this new world.

Though it was rare, the guild did not always meet together in-game. During the golden age of Ainz Ooal Gown, while they were still making the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, every half a year they would schedule a get-together. Not everyone was able to make it, but one time 19 of the 41 members had gathered and Satoru had suggested to commemorate the event with a picture. The one he held in his hands now.

"Shalltear, tell me… what do you think of this?" he had asked her when he felt she had calmed down. She peered at it as she held it carefully, still sniffling. Momonga noticed she had a tendency to bite her lip in thought.

"What is this, my lord? These are obviously..." _Insects. _she had wanted to say, but that wouldn't have been fair to Kyouhukou - but she pressed on, "... humans but their clothes are strange." Shalltear had never seen such incredible likeness before. _This is so real it's almost as if I were there. Is this a memory?_

"You're looking at the members of Ainz Ooal Gown." he said. Shalltear felt horrified. _I just insulted the Supreme Beings!_ She straightened and held the photo completely differently, as if it were a treasure. "This was the… world we came from, from before Yggdrasil. There was… ah, no magic and only humans as a species, so we chose to blend in. I still keep a copy of this photo to this day to remind myself of my friends and all the special times that we shared. This person here?" he tapped at the photo that had a blonde-haired man that had another man embraced in a side hug, they were both laughing and smiling in Shalltear's direction. "The blonde one? That's Peroroncino, your creator." She took a long moment, studying the photo. Momonga looked at the photo as well, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Shalltear felt that Momonga was sharing something deeply personal with her and she didn't want to ruin the moment with too many questions. _I wonder which one is Lady Bukubukuchagama? Is Lord Momonga here too? _A thousand questions raced through her head. _What happened to the rest of the Supreme Beings? Why did they not rule over the humans?_

"Who's he with?" She finally settled on asking.

"That's me." She did a double-take and was silent for a long time as she gazed at their faces, as if to burn them into her mind. _This is..._

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Lord Momonga." She said as she hesitantly tried to hand the photo back to him.

"No, it's yours now." he said, pushing it back into her small hands. "You keep it. In time, in periods of great stress I want you to think about the memories and relationships within Nazarick that you share with each other and build every day. They will give you strength you never thought you had, just like mine do." She muttered her thanks. He stood. "It's quite late Shalltear, I think we should both take a break." He paused as he neared the door and looked back at Shalltear. She was still staring at the photo. "Remember what I said, alright?" he said as he left the room.

Sometime later, she softly uttered, "This was Lord Momonga…" Shalltear would re-evaluate her thoughts on humans for some time.

* * *

Momonga sighed as he stepped inside his room and shut the door. _Good grief what a stressful day. _He lamented as he worked out the kinks in his arms from sitting so long. _A day in a new world and I can't even handle sitting at a desk at an office for long, after doing it for over 12 years. How weird am I? … _He was hit by a peculiar clean scent, like the smell of a fresh rain. _Have they taken to spraying my room? … Something is off here, isn't there a guard usually posted? Ah, no matter. A slime bath sounds really nice right now. _Momonga had learned in a bizzare twisted sense of humor that slimes give the best baths for skeletons like him if he did not want to spend hours scrubbing each and every bone in his body. Water was not stopped by his skin and neither did it absorb food, though neither of those bothered him much. Having had a slime bath, Momonga didn't think he could go back to the old way of traditional showers and bathing like a normal human. _Something about clean bones feels so refreshing._

After his bath, Momonga dressed himself in an immaculate silk red robe before walking to his bed. _I don't technically need to sleep any more, but it's still nice to lie down for a few hours. _He thought as he pulled back the curtain of the bed.

Red dots for eyes met yellow cat-like ones. There sat Albedo, provocatively on his bed, her wings spread out like some sort of divine messenger.

Wearing nothing but the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

She said nothing. He said nothing.

Albedo spread her legs toward him and arched her back a bit more, still holding his gaze. "A-Albedo!" Shock. _Repressed. _Nervousness. _Repressed. Oh, there's shock again, bye it goes. _He dared not look anywhere else but her eyes, he knew if he went down that road in the heat of the moment something might happen.

When he didn't move or speak, she frowned. "Is this form not pleasing to you?" she asked.

"You're beautiful." Satoru's brain was on autopilot. _Tabula, you didn't listen to all my suggestions after all, she is so forward! _he thought lamenting. Apparently, since he wasn't up for the challenge of speaking yet, his friend downstairs decided decided to make his own entrance. She glanced down at the sight of his robe springing to life and the wings at her waist gave a mighty shudder. She looked back up as she held his gaze, her cheeks darkening. "I… see. I-I am ready for you now, Lord Momonga…"

_I don't doubt your willingness, it's mine I'm questioning._ He wanted to say. Momonga thought that his jaw might unhinge itself from his face and '_plop plop plop' _itself right out of the room to beg anyone that would listen for help, but it never did that. Albedo seemed tired of waiting, as she gracefully got up from the bed and Satoru got the impression of a lioness about to pounce or a spider, ready to devour the male as she neared him. Her fingers were slow and unsure as she reached up to untie the robe he was wearing and he knew he was running out of time to do something when it pooled at his feet as it fell. When her hands placed themselves on his chest, it seemed to send an electric shock straight to his brain as he grabbed her hands.

"Albedo… this… isn't right." He forced out.

She frowned. "Why? Have I done something wrong?"

"No. You…" Satoru swallowed a lump in his non-existent throat. He had to tell her the truth. If he took advantage of her because of something he caused, he would never forgive himself. "... your feelings for me. They aren't natural. It's something I changed in you. Forgive me."

She seemed to consider his words. "I see." _There's nothing to forgive, then._ She paused, waiting for him to let her continue but he continued to stare at her. "Is this a problem?"

He expected her to pull away at the admission of his manipulations. _Of course it's a problem! _He wanted to shout. When he didn't answer she ventured further with a "Then, if you had left me the way I was, would my actions be different?" She seemed to search his eyes for something. He recalled that line of her settings.

_**By the way, she is also a slut.**_

_No, towards me specifically, they might even be the same, at least physically._ He realized. He told her as such. She smiled brightly at him.

"Then… can we not continue?"

Momonga carefully considered that. _But… we don't even know each other._ He wanted to say. _No,_ he realized. _It's been only a day for me but for Albedo it's possibly been years._ The truth was, when Satoru had first been transported to this world despite all the dangers that it might possess, he was in a way relieved. He had never wanted to say goodbye to Yggdrasil or his friends in the first place, those situations had been forced on him, much like his transportation to this world. Once the adjustment passed, he realized this could be an opportunity to start over. In his own world, Satoru distantly realized he had no ambitions and simply went through motions of day to day life. Yggdrasil was the only thing he cared about. Being transported to a place similar to it was possibly the best thing he could have asked for. Being without his friends was difficult, true, but there was certainly the possibility that one of them might have even made it here with him, somewhere out in the world. He had the assistance of friends in this world who would never willingly abandon him, all he had to do was accept them. Shalltear, Cocytus, Demiurge, all the other guardians and people that he counted on for years were still here. He could be someone in this world. He wasn't alone as he initially felt.

_I don't have any excuses here. _Privately, sometimes he thought having a significant other would have been nice. _I should be passionate about the things I want, just as I was in Yggdrasil._ _All the NPCs can learn to an extent, they are their own persons with their own feelings, despite how they were designed, they are still dynamic._ Momonga knew he didn't know Albedo well enough as a person simple due to the fact they hadn't spent enough time together and judging by the current situation, there were plenty of misunderstandings between them. _But I don't question her love or devotion, despite what forms they might be. Yet, she still is trying her hardest for me._ Satoru felt something build in his chest that wasn't powerful enough to trigger his emotional repression. _The question is, am I willing to try my hardest in return?_

Albedo was still waiting patiently, her hands still placed on his chest. Momonga slowly released her hands. She didn't move and seemed to be searching his eyes for something. He didn't say anything to her, but distantly felt himself closing the distance between his head and hers.

"Lord Momonga…" as all she was able to get out before she felt his lips claim her own. She didn't need further words to show him how she felt. She would use her actions to tell him what she wanted to say.

_I will work diligently._ She promised to herself.

**A/N: Lemon will be posted on AO3.**  
I always found it strange that the NPCs initially offered their own lives as forgiveness for displeasing Momonga despite having lived so long and came to the realization that most of them don't even know their own worth. I tried to capture that in the scene with Shalltear.  
See you next time!

Additionally, again thanks for all the reviews! At the time of this writing for the last chapter it was  
**Doommajor  
Orthankg1  
Stupidmocker  
Philip222  
UndeadLord22  
Awareness Bringer  
Wedgegeck  
0November0**


	5. Scriptures

_**A/N:**_ I don't know what I'm more excited about for this chapter, that I can stop writing 'Momonga' and refer to our lord and savior by his true name, or that after this chapter - things will wildly diverge from canon and there will be much less canon scenes. *whew* Off work tomorrow and plan to spend the whole day trying to push out the next chapter. See you then! Enjoy!

_Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick  
9th Floor  
Albedo/Momonga's Room_

Albedo at first wasn't sure what woke her up as she sleepily looked around the room, however after a moment a series of beeps seemed to issue from somewhere inside her skull, she jerked awake when she realized who the spell was coming from. She brought a hand up to her temple in the universal gesture to accept a **[message]** spell. "I'm here, Lord Momonga. What do you need?"

His reply was quick and curt. "Albedo. I need you in the administrations office as soon as you are able, armed and ready for battle. Do not bring Ginnungagap, use something else instead."

"Yes, of course." Albedo's brow furrowed as the message ended, she had already jumped out of bed went to the storage closet for weapons.

_Armed and ready for battle but without my world item? What purpose does that serve?_ Albedo thought as she chose a sturdy poleaxe from the pile. _Luckily my armor wasn't put away yet since my room was just moved… _It was only just moments after finishing putting on her armor (damn wings!) that she used the powers of her gift from her beloved lord, the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown and teleported to the administration office.

When she arrived, Sebas was standing not far off from the entrance, his hand in the familiar gesture of in a **[message] **spell. He was standing right next to the entrance of a large portal of a **[Gate]**. She was just able to catch the ending snippet of his conversation.

"-led in stealth and reconnaissance… Yes, of course Lord Demiurge. I understand." His hand fell from his temple to take its normal place at his side as he gave her his full attention. "Lady Albedo, I've been instructed to collect your ring before you step through the portal-" _Over my dead body _she thought viciously as an immediate response before Sebas continued, "- under the orders of Lord Momonga." She wanted to burn a hole through his chest with her stare as she complied. _This should be for the best… I wouldn't want for it to be dirty or damaged, after-all. But I don't have to like it. _Her hand already felt awkward without it. She didn't give Sebas another look as she hurried through the open **[Gate]** spell. She took stock of her new surroundings for threats.

Albedo immediately realized they were on the surface, in a forest of some kind. The sun's position gave away that it was approaching evening. By her side, two human girls - one a wounded teenager and the other a small child she was protecting. Albedo sneered at them, seeing one was already injured with a large gash across her back as she cradled the smaller girl protectively. She deemed them not a threat for the time being. Across from her stood her beloved lord and the form of two other humans that were dressed similar to herself, though their armor was nowhere near as impressive and detailed. _Armed with your swords raised against Lord Momonga? That is your first and only mistake._

"-acking defenseless girls but you don't have the balls to face an armed opponent?" She didn't need her highly honed senses to detect the undercurrent of anger from Lord Momonga, for it lingered in the air around him.

"**[Grasp Heart]**" he intoned as she heard a slight '_lub-lub, lub-lub' _for a moment as something appeared in Lord Momonga's hand. He crushed it with impunity as a soft '_squeelch' _filled the air. One of the knights clutched at his chest before collapsing. Receiving no orders yet from Lord Momonga, she continued to scan for threats and drew her weapon, unless the lone other knight made a move to attack she wouldn't interfere. The knight, after a moment, with a shout of "It's a monster!" started to turn tail and run. _No-honor savages! How dare you insult him?!_

Lord Momonga seemed to agree with her, as he raised a ring-capped finger and there was the white flash and '_crack_' of electricity pooling around it and the smell ozone in the air. "**[Dragon Lightning]**" The knight didn't stand a chance. _Not that he ever did._ The creature collapsed, the body still spasming as the smell of burnt flesh arose from the now blackened husk of armor. "Pathetic, that was only a weak 5th tier spell." Lord Momonga said. Albedo had never seen her lord in combat before… _Not that they were worthy to be his opponents in the first place, but still. _… Seeing his power among the other guardians was one thing, but against actual assailants - against the enemies of Nazarick, she could not think of anything that was not more impressive. _Perhaps that is what the other two humans are for? I haven't fought in front of him either before, should I slay them now to show my competence?_

Amid Albedo's ponderings, Lord Momonga didn't appear to be done. "**[Create Mid Tier Undead, Death Knight]**" he said as one of the former knights rose to join them, its form warping and twisted as it expanded to take her master's desired shape. Albedo's opinion of her former enemy rose sharply. _Even rodents can still be of use to Nazarick, I suppose._ Lord Momonga gave orders to the Death Knight as it ran off deeper into the forest. His attention turned to the two girls.

Albedo felt the need to speak up. "My Lord, I came as soon as I was able… Now then, how should I end their miserable lives?" Albedo wasn't sure if she chopped off their limbs or heads, if her master could still use the corpse for the benefit of Nazarick or not. Her hands gripped the poleaxe tightly.

"They are not a threat." he said. Albedo couldn't help but agree. "The enemies wearing the armor are our targets here." he clarified. Albedo voiced her acceptance. Lord Momonga seemed to noticed the two girls. "It looks like you're bleeding… drink this." he said as he offered a healing potion to the injured human.

"Blood?!" the girls' voice was wavering while she looked at the potion. She made no move to take the gift and Albedo felt righteous anger bloom in her chest.

"You dare to insult my lord after he saved your pathetic existence?!" Albedo could not be more offended. She raised her weapon high intending to kill both of them in one swing before she was stopped by Lord Momonga.

Lord Momonga took his time explaining his identity as a magic caster and the gift he was offering to the girl. _You compassion is wasted on these slugs, my lord._ She wanted to say. _A tick does not need to know the way of the world. It exists solely to breed and die._ Albedo knew her master had incredible foresight, like all the Supreme Beings, and held her tongue. Master Momonga, to Albedo's indignation, continued to use more of his resources on the two humans - casting protection spells and even giving them her beloved's precious items! - though to what purpose she could not see. When the human wanted to know her lord's name as to who to thank for saving her life, Albedo reluctantly thought, _I suppose ants can learn._

"Remember my name, and tell everyone you know of my great powers. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown!"

_I see now. _Albedo thought. Nazarick had much more important things to do, afterall, than running around to every insignificant human village, shack, and hut in this world to spread the name of the Supreme beings. Humans could do that for them.

_But why change his name?_

* * *

Satoru could have face-palmed himself in embarrassment at what the village chief had just told him.

When he had introduced himself to the village chief and the Chief Warrior that had arrived after - Stronoff, he had said, "I am Ainz Ooal Gown, but please call me Ainz." - they had looked at him peculiarly. At first he thought it was simply a strange name to them, which would be not unexpected. This was not the case.

Satoru was raised in a Japanese environment, where citizens were usually referred to by their last name when talking business, unless that person were familiar enough with you that they were allowed to call you by your first. These habits were ingrained into Satoru since an early age for all his life. However, the village chief informed him that in this world humans more closely resembled a Western-style philosophy in that first names were used almost exclusively for most things.

In introducing himself, Satoru had essentially said to them, "My name is Bob. Call me Bob."

Everyone was currently waiting inside the warehouse of the village, the Chief Warrior had just sallied out to meet the attackers and Ainz felt the man deserved his respect as he knew he was riding into certain death to protect his people. No matter what world that might be, Ainz felt that there were few who would do such a thing. _No, _he realized. _That's not correct at all. Anyone in Nazarick would do the same, but I'd like to think that's a special case._ Respect aside, Ainz wasn't about to offer his services against assailants of unknown strength based on the actions of one man of a nation. The Chief Warrior wouldn't even be in this position without someone who wished him ill-will from the nobles of The Kingdom, he'd admitted as much.

Ainz's, admittedly, impulsive decision to save the village was already proving to be worth the effort from the wealth of information though. He had learned so much already from the experience and judging by the way things were going it wasn't over yet. The nations of this world were soon about to know, and fear, the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. Briefly he felt the twin of the item he'd given to Gazeff turn on in his gloved hands, all it needed now was for him to activate it to switch the wearers position. He grabbed Albedo's gauntleted hand with his own - who started with a pleased "Lord Mo-Ainz…!" - before he crushed the item in his gloved fist. "Looks like it's time to switch."

The breeze was sudden as he and Albedo appeared in the grassy field that the two forces had collided in. _The wounded bodies of most of the soldiers went with Gazef as well? Interesting._ Albedo retreated a few steps, letting him take the lead, though she seemed reluctant to let go of his hand.

"-And just who are you?" A man said from the back of the enemy formation. The figure stood next to a much larger summoned angel than any of the other soldiers. _The commander it seems._ Ainz thought.

"Introductions right away, then? I suppose that's fair. Good to meet you, people of the Slaine Theocracy. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown." He glanced to his side. "My companions' name is Albedo. I'll get straight to the point. I would like to make a deal with you."

The enemy soldiers and the commander visibly relaxed in front of him. Ainz mentally smiled under his mask, knowing what they must be thinking. _I've come to offer up my surrender, right?_

The commander seemed to give him thought, "I am Nigun… go on." He indicated.

Ainz smiled. _Showtime._ "Excellent. I would like you to know one thing before we get started. You won't beat me."

He heard some of the soldiers snicker and make remarks under their breath, but their commander furrowed his brows.

Ainz continued, "I propose an exchange of sorts. I am curious about the magic you wield. Those angels you've summoned are the dominion of 3rd tier magic, am I correct? How do arch-angels of flame function without the presence of Christianity - that it was born from - being present in this world? Are you able to enslave denizens of other planes as well? In short, I wish to know how you came about your magic." He waited for the commander, Nigun to take the bait.

He didn't have to wait long. "Then, what will we receive in return?" Nigun said.

"Why, your pitiful lives, of course." Ainz said.

Nigun and his soldiers laughed, Ainz supposed, in the sheer difference of their numbers at him. Though he couldn't see her behind him he heard the creek of metal as Albedo felt she might break her weapon in half with her grip at their impudence.

"You're awfully brazen for a meager magic caster!" Nigun finally got out. "Angels, destroy this cheeky oaf!" he motioned his angels forward. Two of them shot forward at Ainz with their holy imbued blades.

"My, my, my." he said as they approached. "Negotiations have devolved to this? How rude." The angels stabbed him as he reached out with both hands and grabbed them by their throats. They struggled while he was unaffected.

"What are you doing?" he heard Nigun behind them, say after a moment. "Pull them back. Let the body fall. We will focus our attention on the other one now."

"We're trying, Master Nigun, sir!" One of the soldiers shouted.

Ainz allowed suspicion to grow in their heart for a moment as he parted the angels, still holding them by their throats. "Did you not hear me or are you too stupid to understand? Hmm… I guess these are in the way." he said as he slammed the angels into the dirt, great clouds of dust arose from the impact. He allowed it to clear before he continued. "I was being truthful to you, you cannot beat me. Afterall, there is no use lying to men who are about to die."

Nigun seemed to find his amusement from before evaporate at the display. _T-then…_ "Everyone at once! Send all of the angels!" His soldiers obeyed, as a force of angels so thick and numerous it could be considered a small crowd, like locusts, rush forward. _Much like Gazef, no matter how strong one is he can still be overwhelmed!_ he seemed to think.

"Albedo, please step back." was all that was said, in a tone that resembled how one might discuss the weather. Nigun only grew more uneasy.

"**[Negative Burst]**!" echoed across the clearing and Nigun, who had a commander's view of the battlefield, wished he did not as black energy so thick it was almost solid radiated in a dome around the magic caster known as Ainz Ooal Gown and expanded outward. The angels exploded under the force of the energy as it consumed them. _A-all of them… every single one… with one spell?! Principality of Observation was still boosting their defenses!_ Nigun thought incredulously, _I doubt even the black scripture has such power! _He gulped, remembering what Gazef had told him. "_That man in the village… if you anger him it will be a massacre." _Nigun had only one thought. _Who the hell is Ainz Ooal Gown?!_

"Principality of Observation, attack him!" Nigun shouted. Ainz furrowed his brows and thought. _He hasn't pulled his soldiers back to retreat? This mustn't be his trump card then… or maybe the fool is just overconfident. We'll see. _The large angel that had been next to Nigun moved forward to engage him. _I feel like a max-level raider that went to the noob area to show off. Perhaps I should have let Albedo handle things but… showing off is quite nice from time to time, right Ulbert? _He thought, thinking of one of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, Ulbert Alain Odle - Demiurge's creator, who obsessed about being 'evil' within the game of Yggdrasil so much that he had written several 'Big Bad Evil Guy' monologues. During his musings, the Principality of Observation had attacked him and he had reflexively reached up with a single hand to swat the weapon away from hitting his face each time it came down. The difference in their sizes at such an action was almost comical.

"I guess I should fight back." he decided, once Nigun had gotten used to the shock. "**[Hellflame]**." A flickering flame of black and deep red, so small it looked like a stiff wind might blow it out, emerged from his finger and almost lazily drifted up to the large angel. When it made contact with the Principality of Observation it instantly grew and engulfed the entirety of the creature for less than a second and started to dissipate with the angel nowhere in sight. Ainz absently noticed Nigun and his soldiers had jumped back so quickly he wasn't sure if it was from the intense heat that he knew they would feel even from that distance or fear.

"That's not possible!" Nigun seemed to be losing his mind with the way his eyes were bulging out. "There's no way you can destroy high level angels with just one spell!" he shouted. _High level? _Ainz laughed in the privacy of his own mind. _Not even close._

Ainz felt something in his mind '_crack'_ resembling the sound of broken glass. He instantly was on guard. "Albedo! Come closer to me!" he said urgently. She jumped in front of him to face Nigun as he looked around for threats, focusing on the protection spells he still had active on his person and noticed one of his spells had activated and the cooldown for another of his spells was in progress. _This is my anti-divination offensive barrier… then the other…_ "It appears we have company." he said to Albedo as he starred off to the side, watching for a possible ambush.

A second later, there was another '_CCCRRRAAAAACCCKKKK'_ that was visible in the sky, as if someone had just taken a hammer to a piece of glass for a moment, before it broken apart and shattered. Nigun saw it too. "What the hell was that?" he shouted.

Ainz cursed under his breath, _This man is more clever than I gave him credit. He attacked in a way that made it appear reckless in order for me to reveal my true power to unknown entities… Luckily, __**[Hellflame]**_ _is only a 7th tier spell. Now he feigns ignorance, I have to be careful._

"It appears the Theocracy was watching you, Nigrun." he said for Albedo's sake, who was still on guard.

"My country was… watching me?" he questioned, his face uncertain.

_His acting skills are as good as mine._ Ainz thought. "They triggered my offensive anti-divination barrier though, so I doubt they saw much. Admittedly, I would have used something a bit more powerful than a simple **[Explosion]** spell if I knew it would be triggered, but I guess that can't be helped now."

* * *

_Kami Miyoko - Capital of the Slane Theocracy._  
_Divining room  
Seat of the Gods_

_10 minutes earlier_

Gordon Rasmut could not believe his good fortune in his life. He was born the son of one of the lieutenants of the Slane Theocracy's own Army of Humanity. True, he didn't have enough magical or martial ability to join the army or any of the scriptures, but his father was satisfied with his faithful work for the Church as he slowly rose in their ranks and he was on good terms with the rest of his family. One of the sermons he was assisting with was noticed by one of the passing cardinals 6 months ago and he was offered his new position. To work with one of the members of the black scripture - the pinnacles of humanity, The Thousand-Leagues Astrologer herself! His father was overjoyed and they had celebrated the whole night.

It didn't hurt that she was incredibly beautiful either. The Astrologer was dressed in an, admittedly, odd assortment of clothes. She often wore a purple silk buttoned down nightgown with only the top few buttons clasped to contain her sizable chest, with only a thin strip of transparent cloth over her underwear. On one of her legs she wore some sort of intricate golden clasp that encompassed parts of her leg - Gordon assumed it was part of her treasures as a black scripture member - and a knee-high sock haphazardly thrown on the other leg Her soft blue hair was braided in such thick twin-tails that they were nearly as wide as his thighs and they were almost as long as she was tall. Her most defining piece of equipment she was often recognized by was her _enormous_ stitched witch hat that sat upon her small head, Strips of it trailed the ground when she walked and ended at the other end in the shape of a snake. Her eyes, Gordon thought, was her most beautiful feature - the color of Amber. As luck would have it, it was part of his job to stare into them during her divining.

The Thousand-Leagues Astrologer, for she did not go by her name - and Gordon did not know it - had a very specific system that was followed by her servants. While she was divining she could move her face, eyes and mouth only, so she could not write what she saw. Her assistants helped with this. There were three of them in total, with separate responsibilities. They all collaborated after the divining.

First assistant - to stare at her eyes. If she looked in a direction and blinked, it would mean that direction. Up meant north, Down meant south, and so on. If she starred forward and blinked, it meant that she was covering distance, she would tell them how far it was, whether it was leagues or tens of leagues, after the divining.

Second Assistant - because the first assistant could not look away from her, the second recorded the information relayed from the first.

Third Assistant - To record anything she said.

She entered the room, breaking Gordon's musings. The guards at the sides of the room igniting traditional incense as she mentioned once that it helped her focus. The other assistants took up their positions around her once she stopped and kneeled at the center of the room, a sign to get started. A moment passed and her eyes flashed then glazed over, Gordon knew she was no longer seeing him, but another place - far, far away.

"We're starting in E-Rantel." she said.

_West… 15… _he started relaying the information out of habit.

_Southeast… 5…_

"There's a burned village here."

_West… 6…_

_North… 25…_ "Another village, also burned."

She never told them the purposes of her divinings and it was not their place to question them, but he couldn't help but feel sad for his fellow humans. Even though they weren't of the Theocracy, common-folk were not to blame - _what sort of monster was it killing the villagers? Is this a new threat to humanity we are trying to find? One of the dragon lords of flame, perhaps?_

It was a minute of more searching before there was any change.

"Another destroyed village… I think I've picked up their trail. I can still see their tracks." she said.

_Tracks?_ Gordon thought. _An army of monsters, maybe? A lot of goblin and ogre tribes do live around E-Rantel…_

A few seconds passed before she said simply, "I found the Sunlight scripture. Right outside another village."

_The one of the scriptures is already there?_ Gordon thought.

Her brows furrowed. "They are… wait. There's one, maybe two figures on the other side of them… they are… ah, it's hard to tell from this distance. I'm taking a closer look."

_1…_

"This is still a bit too far… The captain is sending his angel in."

_Good, whatever demon beast it is will surely-_

"The angel is destroyed, one attack - some sort of black fire that I've never seen before. I'm still not close enough to tell if it was a spell or item. I'm taking a closer look."

_That quickly? One hit?_ Gordon started to feel uneasy. Her next words made them worse.

_1…._

Her eyes widened, "Something's wrong. I feel as though I just were submerged in water." She always spoke with a monotone but now clearly she was surprised. She spoke quickly. "It's some sort of magic caster and a bodyguard in black armor... Albedo - I think is the name. I'm… not detecting any magical ability from the caster - how is he casting his spells?" Her brows furrowed. "... what are you looking around for?" she mumbled under her breath. The Astrologer's eyes widened as she shouted, "He sees me!?"

'_CCCRRRAAAAACCCKKKK' _The sound was so sudden Gordon and the other assistants jumped in the air, startled. At first he thought one of the guards had clumsily broken a jug of stored water. The Thousand-League Astrologer grabbed at her head and dizzily stumbled backwards and stood on unsteady feet, her eyes no-longer glazed over.

_Was she forced out of her own divination?_ Gordon thought incredulously. Then, they all heard a brief sound, not unlike one of rolling thunder through the sky, fill the room. Gordon saw the space where The Astrologer had been divining fill with an ominous black cloud as the thunderous sound grew louder for a moment. The Astrologer reached a shaking hand up out in front of her, still swaying on her feet, the divine treasure around her thigh starting to glow. The room grew silent for a split second as the black cloud in the room shrunk in on itself.

The Astrologer was just barely able to croak out, "M-**[Mana Shield]**!" - as the room filled with a concussive wave of force and an explosion of fire that filled it in its entirety. Gordon's eardrums were ruptured immediately, as he was closest to the center of the blast, and was blasted 20 feet back to hit a stone support column that was also damaged. He hit the floor with his back broken from the impact and some vital organs ruptured as a piece of the support column fell off and landed on him - out of the assistants, he was the luckiest.

The Thousand-Leagues Astrologer's mana was instantly drained to nothing as her shield absorbed most of the blast, but was blasted off her feet and thrown back through the doors of the entrance of the divining room - the only thing that saved her life. In her landing, her head hit the floor so hard she was knocked unconscious and bleeding. She was found by passing guards that came to check on the situation.

She did not wake for several days from a concussion and magical exhaustion. The guards only recovered the smoking, burned husks of the others that remained in the room after an hour of clearing the debris. One question remained in everyone's mind that would not be answered until The Thousand-Leagues Astrologer woke.

_What the hell happened here?_

* * *

After the battle with Nigun, if it could be called one, Ainz ordered the captured Nigun and the rest of the scripture soldiers that were alive to be taken for questioning. "But Demiurge," he said in his **[message]**, "Do not do anything with them yet. I wish to see to the process personally." He had many questions for the commander. _According to the village chief, magic casters are considered somewhat of a premium in this world. We might not capture this many again so easily, best not to take chances and not let them die needlessly, yet._ He thought, as Albedo accompanied him back to the village.

When they arrived they found the Chief Warrior still unconscious, but Ainz was able to discreetly feed him a healing potion - fearing he might die on him from his multiple wounds. He and Albedo waited outside a few minutes as Ainz was relaying orders through his multiple [**message**] spells, while Albedo was keeping some of the villagers that might try to approach him at bay with her presence.

One unlucky fool, a farmer, had been walking in his direction carrying a pitchfork while carrying some apples in his arms. Ainz never had the opportunity to find out if the man was trying to offer some type of reward to him, after saving their village _again_, as Albedo had mistaken the tool for a weapon and had nearly sliced the poor fools head off. _This is ridiculous!_ Ainz thought.

"Albedo, I know your feelings but you need to control your aggression with these humans!" Ainz said as he admonished her.

Albedo kneeled in front of him, "I'm sorry, my lord. I beg your forgiveness."

_You're sorry, but not because it it wrong. It is only because it displeases me_ he thought. Ainz wasn't sure how to get through to her that her behavior was wrong and he was starting to lose his patience. "Albedo, I don't care for them much either, but these people have done nothing wrong. They are not strong, but it is not a sin to be weak either. If you must, tell yourself that it will benefit Nazarick in some way. I don't care how you fix your attitude, just do it!"

"I… I understand." She said.

At that moment, Ainz noticed Gazef had recovered and was making his way towards their position.

"It appears I have to thank you a few more times today, Sir Ainz." Gazef said as he bowed, once he got close to them. "Thank you again for protecting the villagers and myself. The Kingdom owes you a debt that keeps growing, it seems."

"Thanks is not required but is appreciated all the same. The result would have been the same even without your courage." Ainz stated.

"You are an honorable man." Gazef replied.

"Chief Warrior, you made an offer before to come join you at the royal capital earlier… While I admit I am still hesitant about the idea, the situation has changed. If you'll allow me, I would like to accompany you to see such a city." Ainz said. _Right now our ability to gather information is slow. We've learned more in this little excursion about the outside world than the last few days combined. As it stands The Kingdom should be the largest, closest nation we can have cordial relations with and their king now owes me a debt. Starting renown and money will help both Sebas and Shalltear's missions substantially. Yes, this will do nicely…_

Gazef seemed surprised. "You accept? I admit, Sir Ainz, I am glad to hear it. You will be travelling with us?"

"No, I have a few affairs to take care of." Ainz admitted. "However, don't wait on our account, I will meet you at Re-Estize when you arrive."

Gazef nodded. "Then, I bid you farewell for now, Sir Ainz." He bowed his head and Ainz nodded to him.

"Let's go home then, Albedo."


	6. Raising the Curtain

_Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick  
9th Floor  
Administration's office_

"Demiurge, could you repeat to the other guardians what you just told me?"

It was just after the meeting of all of Nazarick where Lord Ainz had explained the events surrounding his and Albedo's brief incursion with the outside world, as well as explaining their master in changing his name - in Demiurge's honest opinion - to a new and greater height.

_Ainz Ooal Gown_ he thought. _Yes, a fitting name for the future king of the new world. Lord Ainz must realise without the other Supreme Beings his authority is absolute. After speaking with Albedo earlier, it's clear to me Lord Ainz wished to free up the only other perfect name in existence for his future heir - should it be a male. According to Albedo, he had barely stepped foot into the new world before he changed it… yes, this is the mark of a great leader - revealing the best laid plans only at the correct times. Remarkable._

Demiurge was so focused on his musings he had forgotten Albedo's question for a moment as he reached up to fiddle with his spectacles, one of his only habits brought about by nervousness at attempting to correctly convey a speck of his great master's wisdom to others. He addressed the other guardians, briefly wondering how Cocytus' massive figure had gotten into the room in the first place.

"Yes, of course. Yesterday, during the master's brief disappearance within Nazarick, a direct test of mine and Albedo's previous order of strengthening our information gathering, the master - in his infinite wisdom and magnanimity - imparted some of his far-reaching plan to me. Honestly, it shocked me to my core. Lord Ainz, in his exact words - wishes the to rule not only Nazarick, but the entire world and for us guardians - it is our sworn duty to deliver it to him."

The room was filled with gasps at his declaration.

"In. My. Wildest. Dreams. It. Did. Not. Occur. To. Me. That. Nazarick. Is. A. Mere. Stepping. Stone. On. The. Path. Lord. Ainz. Wishes. To. Lead. Remarkable." Cocytus let out an excited breath. The rest of the guardians voiced their agreements.

Demiurge, however, only stared at Albedo's form as she was clutching the front of her dress around her stomach.

"There's one thing I don't understand though, Albedo." Demiurge said when everyone had quietened down.

She noticed him and motioned for him to go on.

"I can only imagine after consummating your vows, Lord Ainz gifted you with his seed. Why aren't you currently with child - as your race could dictate?" he asked plainly.

"I am storing it within myself." Albedo said after a moment. Demiurge immediately saw what she meant. _There is no one to take over for me, yet._  
_  
_ Demiurge swallowed heavily as he realised the implications. _No one in this room is better at her duties than Albedo - as Overseer, but I never imagined that her importance would one day be a detriment. Truly, if Albedo grew heavy with child she would not be able to complete her duties fitting her station. Even normal operation of Nazarick can barely be handled by Sebas right now - at a critical time of Nazarick's expansion in a bid for world domination it would be even worse - Lord Ainz depends on her the most and it would be the height of selfishness to make decisions based on her wants alone._ Albedo was putting her life's desire on hold because there was no one else in this room that could currently replace her to a satisfactory level.

Demiurge decided then and there he would do whatever was in his power to be able to match Albedo's skill so that she might one day be free of her shackles to do her other duties as the wife of a future monarch. While he was intelligent enough to realise he was the most logical choice as her replacement, Demiurge would be content that - through him stepping up to the plate - Nazarick might be gifted the beginning of a new line to serve. He could imagine in no other part, aside from Albedo's role, that there would be such an honor. Perhaps Lord Ainz might even let him personally serve his offspring?

With the way Cocytus had suddenly been musing at being called '_Uncle Cocytus'_, there would be fierce competition in that regard, Demiurge was sure.

* * *

_Great Tomb of Nazarick  
9th floor  
Administration's office_

_Some time later…_

Albedo was standing near Lord Ainz as he carefully went over the pack of files she had just given him. She recalled her orders she had been given as soon as they had gotten back to Nazarick from the battle near Cairne Village.

"_Albedo, I need you to prepare dossiers on all the denizens of Nazarick from area guardians on up. In addition to this - I am particularly interested in their attitude towards humans. In fact, I would prefer if you would organise them based on this - from most favorable to least." he said as he walked through the halls of Nazarick with her. "Also, I must apologize to you for losing my temper earlier with you. Much like the floor guardian's guilt at failing to defend their floors, as Overseer you likely have no small amount of anger towards humans as well at their perceived failures - and we have not had the time to discuss the issue at length. Tonight, I should like to share our thoughts and feelings between each other, if you would agree."_

_Albedo realised her heart soared higher after every conversation with her lord._

She was waiting for his response as he shifted through her prepared work.

"I feel as though it's a bit disrespectful to ask," he started hesitantly. "But there are enough misunderstandings between us already so please do not take offense to what I say - for I do not mean it. I just need to confirm - is this information accurate?" he asked, pointing to one of the dossiers that were near the top of the pile. Albedo recalled her conversation with the person in question.

"_Ahh, one last thing. What are you thoughts towards in-...err… humans?" Albedo had asked._

_The recipient had stared at her after a while, "Albedo, would you ever take the form of something you hated?" she finally asked._

_Albedo looked up in surprise. "... I believe I'm supposed to be asking the questions here?" when there was a defiant expression and no response, Albedo decided to humor her, "Of course not. Why would I choose to be something I hate? If we're done wasting time then-"_

"_I thought so," her interviewee said. "Albedo… I think you need to consider sometimes there are things you do not know that might change your opinions…"_

_Albedo frowned. "I don't fault your logic - but if I did not know, why would I change it?" she said._

_The other person was silent for some time. "Perhaps, because of the words of a... friend?"_

Albedo had never had a weirder conversation with the figure in her life and she could not help but wonder.

_What on earth has gotten into Shalltear?_

"It is by her own words, Lord Ainz." Albedo said.

* * *

_Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick  
5th floor  
The Room of Truth - Torture Prison_

Ainz stared down at the unconscious form of Nigun, Neuronist standing a little too close to his comfort at his side. Though he did not question her loyalty to Nazarick, the sight of her and the way she was trying to catch his attention was disturbing, even for Ainz. _Thank goodness I didn't bring Albedo with me._ _I might very well be down a head torturer._ Ainz recalled the conversation with Neuronist and her subsequent flirting that she had attempted before he came down here.

"_Thank you for having me, Neuronist. I have a request, if you would allow it. Admittedly, I know very little of torture compared to your vast knowledge and I do not wish to be the type of superior that pretends to know your job well enough to tell you how to do it…" _Satoru had enough of those types of bosses from his time as a simple office worker and recalled that it grated deeply on his nerves. "_However, I would like to request your allowance of me taking over the first session with Nigun, just this once?"_

"_Since Lord Ainz came all the way down here to see me, as a woman-in-waiting I feel I must allow it." she had said delightedly. "It's almost like a date." she continued. Ainz cleared his throat uncomfortably._

Once Ainz saw that Nigun was coherent after he awoke, he started. "Nigun, good to see you. Imagine meeting again so soon?" The coward seemed already scared out of his wits when he had revealed he was an undead before and Ainz could see he frantically looked for a way to escape from his shackles that bound him. Ainz ignored it. "Welcome to Nazarick. I hope you understand, but there won't be any possibility of a rescue for you. After all, who from your country would dare threaten me when I single-handedly eliminated an entire special forces unit, just to save someone as low on the totem pole as you?" Nigun seemed to struggle as he realised the truth of Ainz' words.

Ainz gestured to Neuronist behind him. "This is my chief torturer, Neuronist. You'll find she is not quite as patient as I am. Allow me to explain how things are going to work from now on." he said as he grew closer to the man. "Every day, you will be awakened at precisely the same time. You will answer 5 questions every day. If your answers are truthful you will be treated according to a certain liveable standard - you will find if nothing else - that I am a man of my word. Conversely if you provide resistance or are found to be lying - you will get the stick… I trust you know what the expression means?"

Nigun could do nothing but nod his head.

Ainz smiled. "Excellent, I thought you would be agreeable. Seeing as this is your first day - and technically have already agreed to work for me, I will avoid questions about your country specifically as I have no need of such things at the present time. I will even make the first question extremely easy on you. Tell me, what is your full name?"

Nigrin stared at him as if he could not see how that might suit his purposes and could find no real reason to deny the answer. "Nigun Grid Luin…"

Ainz clapped for a moment. "Excellent! We're off to a great start already!" He congratulated him. "Then, next question. I noticed in our battle that you specifically were able to control a much more powerful angel than the others, Principality of Observation - I think it was? Do you have a special skill or item, something unique to you that allows you finer control over your abilities? Honestly - you don't seem all that more powerful than your subordinates to me, so I am curious."

Nigun stared at him for a moment, this thoughts seemingly finding no issue with questions of common knowledge, much as the first question. Ainz knew it would make him more pliable the closer he got to the 5th question - he would be more willing to tell him what he wanted to know for the day to avoid torture. "I'm a Talent holder."

_What is that?_ Ainz thought, but Nigun did not offer up further information. Ainz smiled. "Ah, I see you are truly a clever man, Nigun. Conniving to make me use another question on you. Your words may have truth and I was not more specific in my questioning, so the fault lies with me. Very well. What is a 'Talent holder' by definition and what is it's unique application to yourself? - and if it is something related specifically to your country then I will ask a different question, as agreed."

Ainz and Nazarick would learn much that day, between the other soldiers and Nigun. Ainz felt the need to impress on Nigun's importance to Nazarick that he stayed alive - to Neuronist, who thanked him on giving her his unique insight into her profession, though she confessed she much more preferred her methods - she did not doubt Lord Ainz' effectiveness.

* * *

_2 days later..._

_Re-Estize  
Re-Estize Kingdom  
Outside the city of Re-Estize_

Gazef Stronoff smiled as he saw the royal capital of the Kingdom. He had thought he might never see it again, and would not have, if not for the mysterious Sir Ainz. Gazef frowned as he rode toward the city with the rest of his troops and the few villagers that had survived previous attacks. Being from a commoners family himself, he took pity on these people who had so many things taken from them through various means. Monsters were bad enough on their own, but to be attacked by their fellow man? Worse, Gazef felt responsible as these people would not have been targeted if not for him. He long ago learned to deal with this type of guilt though, as he knew the sort of person he was and strove to be. He could not be so sure of who might replace himself if he should fall in battle - if they would, in his eyes, replace him in not only position but in strength of heart as well. _There are good people like Sir Ainz out there too._ He reminded himself.

_Speaking of…_ Gazef briefly felt he had made a mistake somewhere as he had not heard nor seen the man since then. _Sir Ainz has proven he was loyal to his word but he is not here… I hope he is alright and there was not another attack… _Gazef's concern turned out to be unneeded as he spotted a familiar figure ahead on the road. Gazef smiled against the sun and gave instructions to his vice captain to finish leading the troops and ensure the villagers were taken care of, before he rode on ahead to meet with Sir Ainz. As he approached he noticed another figure with the man and it was not the heavily armored form of his previous bodyguard. No, the figure before him was nearly half the size of Sir Ainz.

It was obviously a girl, but Gazef could not say much about her looks as her face, much like Sir Ainz's, was hidden by a mask. However, while Sir Ainz's resembled some sort of ancient demon with its many dips, turns, and contrasting colors, the girl's mask was more of a type that a noble in The Kingdom might use at a masquerade ball, though Gazef was not familiar with such things. Her mask was smooth and beautifully painted - the part that was visible to Gazef, at least. Her well-fitted white dress oozed feministic beauty with its frills and was adorned with bows, as was the large wide-brimmed sun hat that she wore. White gloves and soft blonde hair that was fanned out behind her completed a look that Gazef might think was a little princess out of some fairy tail. If Sir Ainz, with his large form and overpowering nature would be referred to as Power - Her form, with her small stature and smooth curves would be Purity. They looked like polar opposites to a man like Gazef. _A daughter, perhaps?_

"Chief Warrior." The man said in greeting.

Gazef smiled and nodded at him from his horse. "Sir Ainz. I'm glad you could make it, or maybe I should say I'm glad you waited for me? Perhaps it's both. I don't see your companion from before and yet I see a new one before me?"

"My previous bodyguard's required payments for her services are… excessive." Ainz said.

Gazef, his social skills honed through years of the social meanderings of the elite of Re-Estize nobility, detected the undercurrent of amusement from his tone - but Gazef could not find anything strange with what the man had said.

"Moreover, I am in the care of the greatest warrior of the Kingdom, so I have no concerns for my safety. Ah, forgive me for being rude. This is one of my companions." Sir Ainz turned to the girl. "Say hello, Shalltear."

Gazef did not know if that was her actual name or a reference to the beautiful crying face of the painting on the mask. _Perhaps both?_

The girl, Shalltear, curtseyed with a "How do you do? Master Ainz speaks highly of you, Sir Gazef." Her voice sounded light, cultured, and refined. Gazef bowed back respectfully.

Gazef's troops had made it to their position on the road finally and he noticed several of them look at Sir Ainz and give him a respectful nod or wave in greeting. Sir Ainz seemed to notice but didn't move or say anything. "Well," Gazef said, " I invited you to the capital, but at this rate it will be dark before we arrive. Shall we proceed?"

"After you, Chief Warrior." Sir Ainz said.

* * *

As Gazef was leading the pair through the streets of Re-Estize, Gazef explained a bit of the operations of the city. Re-Estize itself was a massive city of districts cordoned off with multiple, layered walls. The outer sections contained mostly dwellings for the common folk and the like. In the second set, the inner layer, security was increased with mostly minor nobles, and businesses dominating those sections. Of course, the central area contained the upper echelons of the nobility as well as the king and royal barracks - direct soldiers under the king. Having payed attention to history, Ainz knew the weaknesses of such a feudal state.

Though the territories were _officially_ under the leadership of the King's banner, in practice it was the nobles who collectively possessed the most military power. The king controlled little when it came to military might, but was strongest in the economic details. Because of this, unless the nobles were united, they are very slow to react to changing situations. Additionally, if the king was weak-willed, the entire kingdom could collapse due to in-fighting.

Ainz had noticed that many people on the outskirts of the city acknowledged Gazef but as they got deeper and deeper into the city it seemed to decrease. _Must be because of his common heritage… _"Gazef," he said when the man had paused his explanations as they were passing some of the shops in the inner walls, "I don't recall if I told you before but I am a bit of a hermit. I don't mean to be rude so stop me if I approach that point. I have knowledge in the field of magic but I would like very much if you would permit me some questions related to _your_ area of expertise, your martial abilities?"

Gazef nodded at him.

"I have heard of the so-called 'Talents' that some people are born with. Is that something you possess or are your skills the product of pure hard work?" Ainz asked. _As I thought, Nigun is already proving useful._

Gazef smiled good-naturedly at him. "I am sorry to disappoint you Sir Ainz, but if there is a Talent that affects martial skill, then I do not know of it. My skills are the product of sweat and training. The only talent I've heard of that wasn't directly related to magical ability is the 'magic sight' rumored to be used by the Head Wizard of the Empire. Though, that is still really only useful to mages."

Ainz made a note to remember that information. _I wonder if that's the same as my 'true sight'_ _ability to see through invisibility and illusions?_ "Then, your skills, how do they work? Say I wanted to learn a skill that increase my agility, how would I go about that? Is there one way or is it different for everyone?"

Gazef thought. "Well to start with you would need the proper conditioning. Even if the knowledge of how to perform the martial art is there, your body still needs to be able to handle the stress of using it. If you lack the relevant conditioning you won't be able to use the skill at all. Having someone who knows the skill already guiding you through the process increases the rate at which you learn it exponentially. Methods vary from person to person but in general there is one correct way to learn a skill, though small improvements can be discovered. For example: Monks sometimes use weights on their hands during training to increase their speed when they are not wearing them. Though I should say - I have not learned of a magic caster being able to use martial arts, for their bodies are too frail. I mean no offense."

"I see." Ainz said. _It's just as in Yggdrasil. Abilities couldn't be used by certain classes no matter their level or xp, and some skills had an attribute requirement before they could be used. Skills were learned by trainers but there was no way to learn them outside of that. According to Gazef, as long as you know the training style of a martial art and assuming you meet the requirements, you will be able to learn it? We will have to work on this. If my summoned undead no - if anyone in Nazarick can learn skills on their own they will grow even more powerful the longer they live… I wonder if I'm still restricted to my spell limit? Could I learn or even design my own spells?_

* * *

_Re-Estize, Capital of The Kingdom  
Central city area  
Throne room_

Ramposa III, the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom, rubbed at a sore spot at his neck as the final messenger he had been listening to for the day left the building. _I'm getting too old for this…_ he thought. Most of the nobles around him were still in attendance for today's meetings, though Ramposa could detect the occasional barbed insult and sneer that they sent at each other and it left him unimpressed with his subordinates' stubbornness. _Perhaps I should have abdicated the throne years ago…_ as he knew the tension between the nobles of the Kingdom had only split into factions had only started due to his recent rule.

In the past, Ramposa had quite a fierce reputation as a leader when the Kingdom had been split between he and his brother. Through 5 long years of fighting with his sibling, he emerged victorious in the conflict and had enjoyed a long period of peace as his wife had gifted him with his 3 children before she passed away. That was nearly 20 years ago.

Since then, things had steadily grown worse. When he first inherited the Kingdom, it was rife with political corruption thanks in no small part to his father, Ramposa II, and the previous rulers. Ramposa in his youth found the battlefield significantly easier to navigate than the political machinations of the kingdom's court and was too slow to adapt to the change while he had his youth and as he aged his authority and ability to command waned with body. Now it was all he could do to sit through endless meetings with his hot-headed son, Crown Prince Barbro, complaining similarly at his side. War with the nearby Empire as well as some of the demi-human villages to the north tied up resources endlessly year after year and criminal organizations were becoming more rampant in the city, if recent sources would be believed.

So weak was Ramposa's current power - that he could not even properly Knight the winner of the first annual Royal Tournament, Gazef Stronoff, because of his common heritage, Ramposa could not get the backing require to Knight the poor man and even had to create a completely new position - something within his power as King - and give Gazef the title of 'Head/Chief Warrior' instead of the noble title of 'Knight' that the man deserved! It was infuriating!

_Speaking of Gazef…_

Ramposa was interrupted in his musings as one of the men of his court approached him and informed him Gazef had returned to the city and requested his audience. He accepted without hesitation.

Gazef entered, gracing Ramposa with a smile as he approached the throne. Two more figures followed a respectful distance behind the Chief Warrior. Ramposa gave them some thought. One of them appeared to be some type of wizard, judging by his robes and strange adornments upon his shoulders. The other appeared to be a small child, her stance far too close to the other to be appropriate to be anything but familial. _Why did Gazef bring him? …_

Gazef kneeled before him as he always did. "My king, I have returned."

Ramposa noticed his son, Barbro, eyeing the stranger as if he were staring a hole into the man. "Chief Warrior, I am overjoyed to see your safe return." Ramposa said, loudly to attract the attention of the surrounding nobles. Ramposa was no fool to see that they conspired against him to rob the kingdom of one of their greatest warriors but to what purpose - Ramposa could not see. Indeed, the only reason Gazef had been sent out with so few troops and without the authority to at least bring his normal armaments lay with some of the nobles of the 'Noble Faction'. _Noble my ass._ He thought.

Gazef gave Ramposa a grave look. "Indeed. Though I fear I would not have returned at all if it were not for the good grace of Sir Ainz, the man you see before you. He saved the lives of me, the troops, and even an entire village."

Ramposa gave the man, Sir Ainz, another look. "Then it appears I am in your debt, Sir Ainz. Thank you, on behalf of the crown, for saving the Chief Warrior and my own citizens when I could not."

Ramposa was about to move to speak more, but his son, Crown Prince Barbro, had appeared to have enough as he loudly said, "I see your friend knows how to save commoners, Chief Warrior, but somehow does not understand how to bow or show his face as he should before the Royal family and King Ramposa."

Ramposa noticed how his son did not say 'King Ramposa' first, as would technically be correct, but instead said 'royal family'. _You would threaten good terms with a hero because he did not bow to you? You Imbecile!_ He wasn't fast enough to apologise for his son's behavior before Sir Ainz beat him to it.

"I refuse." Sir Ainz calmly said. Barbro looked taken aback.

Ramposa furrowed his brows at the man as his royal guards all looked at each other, stepping forward with their hands gripping weapons as a hushed silence fell over the court as all the nobles looked at him. _What?_

"Ah, forgive me. I am - until recently - a hermit with little knowledge of social customs. Is what I just said rude? That was not my intention. Perhaps I should have said that I will show my face, but I would prefer to simply incline my head in deference, as it were."

Barbro seemed to recover from this, now frowning, and asked "And why is that?"

"When I was young man my village was attacked by a dragon. I suffered horrible burn scars across my face and body and the tissue left behind causes a significant amount of pain to even sit, let alone bow."

Barbro frowned and admitted, "I suppose it's only natural to turn tail and run in the face of such power."

"No." Sir Ainz said with what Ramposa recognized as no small sense of amusement. "I slew it. Though paid a heavy price in doing so."

Ramposa's delegation was still silent as Gazef, the mightiest warrior in the Kingdom, clarified. "Sir Ainz commands a frightening power over the arcane I would put on par with the likes of the Head Wizard of the Empire. Though I was nearly slain amid the battle, he rescued me and returned from it as though he had taken a morning stroll, neither wind-ed nor injured... I saw several of the bodies with my own eyes."

Though Ramposa could not say for certain if what Sir Ainz had said was true, he knew the Chief Warrior enough that the man would not embellish details. _This man is dangerous._ he thought.

Barbro, his son, suddenly said, "That explains _your_ mask, but what of your daughters'?"

_Don't make assumptions like that._ he wanted to say to his son, but he couldn't fault his logic.

Sir Ainz and the small child turned toward each other for a moment. When he turned back to face Ramposa, he detected the same amusement from Sir Ainz as before. "Daughter? Ah, no - you misunderstand."

"This is my mistress." he clarified.

Ramposa, having a younger daughter once of his own, frowned heavily as many of the nobles looked sharply at her, as if to say, '_One so young?'_ Ramposa himself was one of them. _It seems that some good, powerful men have otherwise terrible, evil tastes._..

Ainz continued, ignoring the attention of the court as muffled voices all sprung up at once and Ramposa could see more than one woman cover their mouths with their hands in distaste and pity. "It is a symbol of… ah, affection you could say. I grow uncomfortable for her to look upon my scarred form and she in turn does the same to allow me to feel not alone in doing so - to put me at ease. I hope you understand I don't wish to explain further."

Ramposa nodded his head toward Sir Ainz. "In this case, you do not have to bow, Sir Ainz. We at least owe you this much. However, I believe it would put us all at ease if you and your… mistress... would show your faces to us. We have many enemies, you see, and are in the middle of constant wars. I hope you understand."

"This is acceptable." Sir Ainz said as he reached up to take off his mask and so did the girl.

Ramposa noticed several of the lesser nobles flinch away at the scarred face of Sir Ainz and Ramposa found himself sympathizing for the reasoning of his mask. While those that did have the stomach looked at Sir Ainz, most of the rest of the delegation and nobles gazed upon the soft, purple eyes of his partner.

_So beautiful!_ many of them seemed to think - but many of those that did so did not think of it in a way as a compliment, but did so out of pity, after seeing the state of Sir Ainz. Ramposa noticed her skin was so pale it was no mistaking she did not see much sun. _Poor thing must be locked up like some sort of delicate bird._

Ramposa noticed, with not a small amount of concern, a few lustful gazes upon some of the nobles. _Control yourselves, you idiots._ "Thank you for putting us at ease, Sir Ainz." he said, hoping to draw his attention to himself and not his court as the pair put their masks back on. "Please, allow me to offer you a reward for your services to the crown. It's the least I can do." Ramposa clapped his hands as a messenger carried a weighty pouch filled with coins to Sir Ainz.

"If it would please you that I accept it, then I shall." Sir Ainz said as he pulled the pouch into the folds of his robes.

Ramposa nodded to him, "Thank you again Sir Ainz, then if that would be all…?"

"Actually," Sir Ainz said. "If I could have a bit more moments of your time, King Ramposa?"

At his nod, Sir Ainz continued. "I do admit I have an ulterior motive in accepting the Chief Warrior's offer to accompany him back here. My companion," he gestured to the girl. "Shalltear, has expressed interest to me many times to explore more of the world as she grows tired of the hermit's lifestyle. Shopping and things of that nature - you know women. In short, I would inquire if we could perhaps take up residence inside the city for a while? She's a bit of a romantic, you see. Surely there can be found parties and balls and things of that nature within a city of this size? I would like very much if she could attend some. It would also be correct to say that the Chief Warrior's character left a favorable impression on me and I would like to learn more about your city, if you'll allow it."

Ramposa keenly narrowed his eyes and considered it. _Hmm… this might bear some fruit. The yearly meeting at the Katze Plains with the Empire will be approaching soon and we have never had the assistance of a wizard as powerful as Sir Ainz before, if what Gazef says is true. The Head Wizard of the Empire, while powerful, has not taken part in the battle before but that isn't guaranteed that the situation will continue to be the same. If I could do him this favor and get Sir Ainz' good will…_

"I'm sure that can be arranged, Sir Ainz." he said amiably.

* * *

Shalltear was standing in stunned silence. While her main skills were related to combat and Lord Ainz, she knew, was a caster of untold power - she certainly wasn't expecting this! Albedo and Demiurge's praise of their Lord - no, the praise of all of Nazarick didn't do the scene before her justice. It was all she could do to play her part in stunned silence as she watched Lord Ainz as he put on a show that played out exactly as he had told her. They were dancing by his strings and didn't even realise they were the puppet! _Lord Ainz is incredible!_ She thought in intense admiration.

She recalled what he had told her when they arrived in front of Re-Estize before Gazef had showed up.

"_Shalltear, though you do have a part to play, I do not need you to do anything. In fact, it would be accurate to say that I would prefer if you did nothing at all except stay as close as possible to me. That is it… or rather, that is what is most important."_

At first she thought he had said such a thing because he doubted her ability or didn't trust her, but now seeing Lord Ainz in action, she knew the truth. He was the orchestrator - the narrator - and stage director - all at once of the play he was putting on. All she needed to do was play her part - as the audience to appreciate it.

_Lord Ainz isn't even doing anything and they are eating out of his hand! How does he know how they will react?! Is this why the Supreme Beings did not rule over the humans, but learned from them? Lord Ainz said they had no magic, but he is more powerful than anyone so that means… just how many worlds did the Supreme Beings come from?_

It was not but a week later that she received her first invitation to a ball held in the royal capital.

Master Ainz would be pleased.

**A/N:**_Bang! Bang!_, Ainz is killing it.  
Lots of pieces moving here…  
We finally get to see the brief thoughts of Demiurge. :)

Also what do you guys think about chapter length? Keep it the same - or longer, but slower updates? Lemme know!

Thanks for all the kind reviews for chapters 4&5!  
Reviews to an author are like chapters are to a reader! ;)  
That the time of this writing that is  
**Undeadlord22  
Withered Phoenix  
Awareness Bringer  
RyuujiVantek  
0November0  
PervySageChuck  
Pwashington  
Deliberatee  
Aeoniann  
Mortality is a Spook  
Jonu  
Lighting-Squall  
Kilare T'suna  
Orthankg1  
Vladik.060100  
Randy the Ranger**


	7. The Golden Princess

_Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick  
9th floor  
Albedo/Ainz' room_

"Ah, Albedo. Must you be so perfect in everything you do?" Ainz said with a contented sigh as he felt his bones crack. He could hear her amusement in her reply.

"I could do no less for you, Lord Ainz, but I appreciate that you take the time to think so." she said smiling, sitting on his back as she massaged his back and neck. Ainz felt as if on a cloud from her skilled hands. How a skeleton still needed to stretch out his bones was beyond Satoru.

"Perhaps," Ainz said, "Though at times I feel guilty as I feel as though I do not put forth equal effort." he admitted.

"My lord that's simply not true!" she said vehemently as she stopped her ministrations. "My only wish is to serve you and you allow me to do so every day! If anything it is I that do not do enough for you."

"Albedo, it is you who I depend upon most here." he said.

Albedo felt great pride but said nothing as she continued working on Ainz.

"I don't wish to order you tell me what you want, but am not disinclined to do so if you continue to be so selfless with me." he peeked at her, "and no. Nothing physical right now. I have learned of your ways." he said in amusement.

She closed her mouth after it had opened, as it was in the process of saying such a thing, looking abashed. Albedo thought about her words with Shalltear she had recently, thankful that the girl had extended an olive branch for her.

"_Albedo, have you seen Lord Ainz?"_

_Albedo looked up from one of her documents in surprise. "I believe... he's in the Room of Truth on the 5th floor with that human right now."  
_  
_Shalltear frowned at her. "That's not what I mean."_

"_Then why did you ask?" Albedo focused back on her work, tired of the woman's games._

_Albedo heard the woman huff and her angry footsteps as they walked up to her and around the table. She placed something gently over what Albedo was reading._

"_I mean have you 'seen' Lord Ainz?" Shalltear said as she tapped at the object._

_The following conversation had shocked her._

_At the end, Albedo had asked her, "... why did you share this with me? We're rivals."_

_Shalltear had smiled sadly, "No. He's already made his choice. Envious as I am, I doubt I would have had your strength to hold off on bearing his child if I could, Albedo, but with this undead body…" she cut off, looking sullen. She brightened soon afterwards with a "Well, there's still room for more wives, right?"_

"_Besides, you'll get complacent without someone to keep you on your toes." Shalltear said in her usual haughty tone as she looked away, with her nose up in the air.  
_  
"Then… tell me about you, my lord." she said slowly.

"What do you wish to know?" he said, followed by a contented sigh with more cracking.

"Tell me about… the human world." Albedo had tried to ask as casually as she could but she felt him tense up under her.

"How do you know about that?" came the serious reply.

Albedo didn't wish for Shalltear to get into trouble because of her curiosity, but couldn't find a way around answering truthfully. "Shalltear told me."

"Oh." he slowly relaxed again. "... what do you wish to know?"

"Anything." she said earnestly.

"... I'm sorry, I admit I'm bad at talking about myself and it in itself was not a particularly pleasant place." he said slowly. "I try to avoid speaking of such things, as honestly I enjoy my time here with you and Nazarick more. But that isn't fair to you, either." he admitted.

Albedo froze and squealed in her head. _Lord Ainz wants to be with me more than the Supreme Beings!_

"What was... your name there?" Albedo said after some moments of controlling her fidgeting. .

"Satoru." Ainz said after a moment. "Satoru Suzuki."

Albedo tested the words.

"... I like the way you say it." he admitted.

When he didn't offer anything additional, she slowly said, "Then… did you ever… have a lover in your time there?"

"No. Never." the reply was immediate.

_I-I was L-lord Ainz's… _she could barely finish out the thought in her head herself, much less to say it out loud. … _W-we were each other's… and I thought it was just I that... _she turned away from him as she didn't want him to see her as she choked back the joyous sobs that emerged from her throat and continuously wracked her body.

She felt him shift under her as he turned to face her and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Are you alright?"

"F-forgive me." She said wiping at her face, not wanting him to see her in such a state.

"There's nothing to forgive." he said plainly. "...Albedo, I would like to show you something."

* * *

_20 minutes later..._

Ainz and Albedo had walked through the forest of the 6th floor of Nazarick outside the grand amphitheater until they arrived in the middle of a small clearing.

"Albedo, lay down." Ainz said.

Albedo looked at him through her batted lashes as her wings started to reflexively flap as she started to squirm at her thoughts. "My lord… _here_?... Are we starting a marathon? If that's the case, could I request starting at the Throne room first and then going through every floor? I've always-"

"Albedo." Ainz deadpanned. "I'm trying to show you something. _Focus_."

"Of course!" she said as she did as he asked. Ainz laid down next to her.

"Tell me… what do you see?" he finally asked after a moment.

Albedo frowned in thought, "The sky."

"...Which sky?" he prodded.

_Which… Oh!_ She realised.

"These stars… see that one? That's the North star… in ancient times it was used for navigation... Below that... and to the right, these constellations - the ones that looks like pots? here… and here... are the Little Dipper and Big Dipper…" Ainz continued.

Albedo listened attentively to every word as he continued to speak into the night.

Some time later, as Albedo was slowly falling asleep in the comfortable lull of silence - Ainz suddenly said, "Albedo... how well-versed are you in the administration of a governing body?"

* * *

_Kami Miyako - Capital  
The Slane Theocracy  
Seats of the Six cardinals_

"And what of the situation in E-Rantel?" One of the Cardinals asked.

"Unchanged." The Cardinal of Earth replied.

"Noted… well, is that it? Are we done here?" yet another Cardinal.

"Actually, I believe our Captain has something here to report. Go on." The Cardinal of Earth prodded.

A red-eyed man in his 20's and decorated in expensive-looking armor, known simply as 'Captain' for his position as Captain of the Black Scripture, stepped forward to give his report. "The Astrologer reports that Re-Estize has vanished from her sight." he said.

"... go on…" came a concerned reply.

"A large black sphere has completely encased the city, it is blocking her sight inside." Captain continued.

"... Is something wrong with her sight?... Did she not try to go through it to see if it still impeded her visions?" another Cardinal asked.

"With all due respect, Cardinal, the last barrier that she _could not see_ almost killed her. You would imagine the hesitation of testing one that she _can_." Captain said.

"Our informant said that a magic caster recently came to the city… one moment it's here somewhere…" another Cardinal said as the sound of papers shuffling filled the room. "... Goes by the name of Ainz… black and purple robes with a mask?" asked the Cardinal.

The Captain stiffed, "That's the one that killed Nigun's angel and saw The Astrologer _while_ she was in her vision, and somehow cast a spell 200 leagues away - into the heart of the capital no less."

The silence was deafening.

* * *

_Re-Estize  
Central Area  
Royal Palace_

"King Ramposa?" Ainz said in surprise as he and Shalltear ran into the man, with Gazef in tow, walking through the halls of the palace on the way to their destination. "I admit, I did not expect to see you here. I should thank you - your daughter, Princess Renner, has most graciously been watching over Shalltear these last few events that she has attended. She's a charming woman."

"Sir Ainz, Shalltear." Ramposa nodded at them. "She has taken a liking to her, though I think she enjoys the protection of your companions' quick tongue and wit more though." He said chuckling. "The Golden Princess, I'm aware, could not be seen saying such things."

Ainz recalled the last time he had to admonish Shalltear about her tendencies.

"_That fat noble had the nerve to lay his hands on me!" she had cried indignantly when he had asked about her progress rubbing shoulders with the nobility among Re-Estize._

_Satoru rubbed his temple, praying she hadn't killed someone in public, "-and what did you do?"_

"_I said, 'I just bathed myself for Sir Ainz and yet a maggot so shamelessly just put their excrement back onto my shoulder? Unlucky.'" she replied._

"_Was that it?... That's not so bad, compared to last time." Ainz said admitted._

"_Bu-But I assure you Lord Ainz-!" she cried out as she vehemently defended herself, getting up from her chair and slamming her hands on his desk. "-that THAT man deserved every word!"_

"_Shalltear, you told him that he was the finest specimen you'd ever seen…" Ainz started._

_She looked abashed, knowing what he was about to say._

"_... That before meeting him, you didn't think it was possible for a human being to be so stupid that their brain was forced to overwork itself just to keep up with the need for breathing. That you wanted to lock him up and study him incase we might find others like him somewhere. " Ainz deadpanned. "Even Sebas, under your direction, had to follow the man for the next 10 minutes pretending to jot down notes. Do I need to go on?"_

"Sir Ainz, I would hope that you could walk with me. I would like to speak with you a moment." Ramposa continued.

"Certainly." Ainz replied, turning to Shalltear. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Shalltear nodded and left as Ainz and Ramposa took a route through the palace that eventually led them to a winding path through the royal gardens before Ramposa seemed fit to continue.

"Due to your lifestyle, Sir Ainz, I will skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point." Ramposa started. "I would like to hire you."

"I see." Sir Ainz said after a moment. "In what manner and for what reasons, we've only been within the city less than a month, after all?"

"I had intended to speak to you of this once you'd gotten yourself more acclimated to the city, but my hands are tied now. Though we currently do not have such a thing - I would offer you a position of 'Head/Chief Wizard', created through a manner of need - much like Gazef's was. Something has come up and with council of a man of your caliber it would be most helpful, for the common man does not understand the intricate nature of your craft." Ramposa said.

_Demiurge already contacted me about this 'situation' 4 days ago and I've had him investigating since… So, their information-gathering abilities are still stuck in the middle ages despite their ability to use magic? Why aren't they using __**[message]**_ _spells to communicate?_ Ainz thought. _Hmm… no, there's a possibility that this world doesn't know that spell, as it was originally used to contact players in Yggdrasil, or maybe there just aren't enough wizards in the kingdom as they are mainly a martial state? Another question for Nigun, I guess._

"I see. Then, I hope you'd permit me some questions?" Ainz asked. At Ramposa's nod, he continued. "If I were to accept, what would the responsibilities of a Head Wizard be?"

"Well," Ramposa started. "Naturally you would play an advisory role and have a seat in the council of nobles, of course. You would report to me much as Gazef does - and not another authoritative figure unless I deem it so. You would have The Kingdom's backing as the foremost authority on topics relating to magic, essentially. Other than that you would be free in your duties and possess a certain amount of sovereignty within the Kingdom."

"Interesting." Sir Ainz said. "Is it alright if I think on it? It is not a light decision, after all."

"Certainly. Though I should say, you do not have much time. I've called for a meeting with the council of nobles tonight to discuss the situation. Even if you were to decline, I would still value your input." Ramposa said.

* * *

_With Shalltear… _

Shalltear was busy walking, lost in thought at the conversation Lord Ainz had with her after their first day in Re-Estize.

"_Lord Ainz, not that I mind in the least, but why did you call me your mistress back there? Won't that put you in a negative light?" she asked._

_Ainz looked at her as he walked, "Yes it does. However, what is more important right now is how the court sees __**you**__."_

_Shalltear frowned thoughtfully, "Why is that?"_

"_Shalltear, what do you think would happen if I said you were my daughter?" Ainz asked._

_Shalltear thought for some moments. "They would… try to use me to learn more about you?"_

"_Correct." Ainz said. "That is not our purpose here. Shalltear, the thing you need to understand is humans respect one thing - power - and it does not have to be physical or magical. Political power is what is important to these nobles. These people will be used to getting their way through favors and bribes."_

"_As to your question…" Ainz continued. "Through implying that you are used to sex and unmarried, when combined with your looks and the fact that you are not nobility - and as such they do not need to fear reprisal from a stranger - you will attract the one thing we wish to find, Scum. We will not waste our time to find them - we will bring them to us."_

"_Because of our actions earlier, it's highly likely that at least some nobles will being propositioning you for sexual favors in exchange for something of value. These are the people we are after. Once we know who to initially target we can start using your vampiric abilities to review their memories to piece together the rest of the situation." Ainz said. "Frankly, it doesn't matter how people see me right now. If they know I have the power to level a city, it would not matter to them if I dressed in women's garments and danced naked through the streets during full moons - they would respect me out of fear if nothing else."_

_Shalltear sighed loudly and praised, "Master is always thinking ahead." … she also got an idea._

_"Master… would you say our cover is important here?"_

"_Yes, I would." Ainz replied automatically._

"_Then… should we not practice... keeping our cover?" Shalltear slowly said._ _Ainz, who was still walking at the time - stopped and turned to stare at her, "Shalltear… I'm not sure I follow you…?"_

"_Being your mistress, I mean." She said, then added hurriedly, "Ah - for the mission, of course!"_

"_... L-lets just go get settled in for now." he said after he cleared his throat._

As Shalltear rounded a corner she came upon a young blond man in sparkling white armor, the bodyguard of Princess Renner, Climb. Shalltear smiled behind her mask, "Hello Climb! Would you mind letting the Princess know I'm here? Sir Ainz should be on his way as well." she said as she approached.

When she was welcomed in Renner's room, a brief conversation followed and during a lull in the conversation Renner rang the single, golden bell and invited her bodyguard, Climb to join them for a moment. Shalltear noticed Renner barely blinked or bat an eyelash as she stared at the the man with a smile as he drunk his cup of tea, thanked them, and went to go stand guard back outside the door.

"It seems we are not so different, Princess." Shalltear said.

"Oh? How so?" Renner said, smiling at her.

_We are both, more often than not, forced to only gaze upon those we love._ Shalltear thought, but didn't say anything further.

Not long after, Ainz arrived.

* * *

_This man is no hermit._

Princess Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself or as she was more commonly called 'The Golden Princess' possessed a frightening intelligence from a young age even before the special tutors and instructors that being the princess of a kingdom afforded. She knew her qualities in the fields of intelligence, wit, observation skills, comprehension - every ability tied to a leadership role were so overdeveloped she had no peer within the royal family and most likely the entire court within the Kingdom.

However, even with all of her great talents - to the Kingdom she was simply a spare heir and as 3rd in line for the throne - it was extremely likely her fate was to be used as a bargaining tool at best, whether to prevent wars or forge good relations with a neighboring ruler. Especially when her father eventually died and Crown Prince Barbro would succeed the throne, he might even have her killed to prevent future heirs or possible civil war.. Because of this, she had little political power. Her recent activity within the Kingdom's reforms had taken countless favors to pull off - even with the reforms being for the good of the kingdom - simply because they were submitted by the last in line for the throne. They proved to be worth the effort as she gained popularity among the people in doing so though.

_That doesn't matter right now. _She thought as she and Sir Ainz politely exchanged pleasantries.

Though Renner privately liked the Shalltear girl as somehow she reminded her of Evileye, her skills in the art of conversation weren't quite as good as Renner's. Shalltear was pleasant with most subjects - but when it came to Sir Ainz her feelings became downright passionate with a capital P. Renner had invited the man to find out why, as she had never personally met him yet but according to some of the maids on the estate he was an… interesting character.

"I must say, Princess Renner, I'm impressed at your reforms. Abolishing slavery is no easy feat, especially when so many profit from such a thing." Sir Ainz said.

_Yes, profit in the Court _she thought privately.

She smiled but didn't say anything in response. Frustratingly, Renner wasn't able to get a good read on the man no matter what she did. There was no expressions to read because of his mask, no body language because of the style of his clothes, and his voice and tone were as calm as the ocean at all times.

_You hide in your turtle shell well, Sir Ainz. I too wear a mask - unlike you; I have several to choose from._

"Having said that, I can't help but question why your country hasn't kept up with the speed of your reforms like the Empire? You are on the back-foot here and yet everyone seems content to bury your heads in the sand, except for you." he said._  
_ _  
_ _...I see you are also well-informed._ she thought.

The Baharuth Empire three generations ago was a feudal state, much like the current Re-Estize Kingdom. However, through several purges of nobilities from past and current emperors it had transformed into an absolute monarchy under the leadership of Emperor Jircniv, that had entered into a tremendous stage of economic growth 15 years ago when Jircniv had ascended the Imperial Throne. His very first act as emperor was to purge the nobles and even his own family that had opposed him or be a threat to future rule, earning him the nickname 'The Bloody Emperor' and through the unification brought upon by the purges - united and cowed the remaining nobles to push through his economic policies. Soon after this, the yearly skirmishes between The Kingdom and The Empire was forged at the Katze Plains.

However, no matter what the Kingdom did in the situation with the skirmishes - they were slowly losing. Because of their structure - those of levies raised from villages surrounding the nation - even if both nations did not actually fight and only _met_ at the Katze Plains - which happened in some years - the Kingdom was still losing ground. This is because the yearly war always occurred at harvest season and because most of the working adult males from The Kingdom were drafted to fight in the skirmishes - not all of the available food could be harvested, which stunted the Kingdom's growth. The Empire - with it's professional full-time soldiers who did not need to produce food for their nation, lost little by contrast. While the Kingdom was far more numerous in troops, it was also by contrast much more expensive and time-consuming to mobilize that the Empire's professional soldiers. The Kingdom's growth was stunting with every skirmish and with time - it would weaken enough that The Empire would feel confident enough to fully commit it's military forces and declare war. It was all The Kingdom could do to hold off the two legionary forces that usually appeared at the Katze Plains, with their entire military present the situation would be much worse.

"You've seen the court for yourself." Renner said.

"Yes." Ainz said. "Ramposa has let the situation get far too out of hand. The next ruler will need to get their hands dirty correcting the mess."

_That's bold to say to his daughter… but not wrong. Barbro has no interest in the administration of the kingdom and will not do what is necessary as long as the nobles praise or bribe him._

"I would like to propose a deal with you." Ainz said.

"I'm listening." Renner said noncommittally as she sipped at her tea.

Ainz withdrew a thick stack of papers from his robes and placed them in front of her.

"Back my policies, Princess Renner," Ainz said as he turned to leave the room. "-and I will make sure the Chief Wizard of the Kingdom backs yours." Princess Renner glanced at the stack of papers, before reading the first page.

… _This is… _

Some hours later, long after the meeting of the council of nobles ended, she finally finished reviewing the packet Sir Ainz had given her. She had even had to ring her bell and call Climb in to see his handsome face just to help her think straight.

_Such a sweet puppy - I should get a white leash to match your armor!_

Not long after Climb left the room, she glanced back down at the stack.

_This is incredibly complex_ she admitted. _Why does a man like Sir Ainz know about law and the inner workings of a feudal state?_

Essentially what the reform proposed was something Renner herself had been working on for the past week after mentioning it to her father. The implementation of crop-rotations. Through carefully selecting and rotating the land in-between crop cycles, the yield of the harvest season would increase substantially. While the numbers were slightly off according to Renner's calculations - it was much more word-y than her draft of the proposal - through flashy language and flowing words that highlighted the increased income it would bring, Renner knew the nobility would be more likely to pass the reform if they noticed it increased the state of their coffers.

However, that was not the only thing it proposed. Hidden within the reform overlaid a smaller reform that was much more brief. Through a miniscule income deduction of profits from the implementation of crop-rotations, the reform proposed the implementation of an entirely new system that previously did not exist within the Kingdom. What troubled Renner was the fact she could not see its purpose.

_To what purpose would Sir Ainz want to create a National Registry of Talent Holders?_

* * *

_Start of the Council of Nobles meeting_

Marquis Raevan, or by his full name - Elias Brandt Dale Raevan - is one of the Six Great Nobles of the Re-Estize kingdom. In a normal feudal society, such a faction would be working in tandem with the royal family to manage the kingdom. However, in the current state of the Kingdom of Re-Estize - it is a fact that it was the complete opposite in actuality.

Each of the Six Great Nobles vied for power with the royal family, which in turn crippled the overall ability of the nation. Marquis Raevan knew this and in the beginning of his career - had his eyes on the Throne of Re-Estize as the prize, as he saw himself a capable leader and as a man that was willing to do what was necessary to ensure the survival of his country - a model patriot. Marquis Raevan had devoted the last 10 years of his life building political connections, even entering a loveless political marriage, preparing his increasing resources in a bid for the throne.

That had suddenly changed when his wife, whom he was aware neither of them were in love with the other and simply accepting the duties of politics, had become pregnant unexpectedly. With the birth of his son, Marquis Raevan had felt the joy of fatherhood and through their shared love of their son - he and his wife had found a blossoming happiness and subsequently he lost his desire for the throne of Re-Estize. However the idea of Patriotism still was held fiercely in his heart as he desired a strong Kingdom for the future of his son and was hard at work - as the secret leader of the royal faction - subtly keeping the Kingdom tied together through his connections and political favors he had garnered over the years as well as a reputation for being a sly opportunist.

Marquis Raevan, along with the other 5 Great Nobles, Crown Prince Barbro, and Second Prince Zanac were awaiting the King to arrive in the command room. They did not wait long. Marquis Reavan noticed that the King was follow by both Gazef and Sir Ainz and as the King sat himself, he narrowed his eyes at the form of the masked magic caster.

_What is someone who is not even a member of the kingdom doing here?_

Marquis Blumrush echoed his exact thoughts to King Ramposa III.

"Due to the nature of the situation, I asked Sir Ainz if he could provide his unique experiences as council." the King stated simply. He then turned to Raevan himself. "Marquis Raevan… now that we are all gathered, let's get right to business."

"Keep in mind we've only learned this information as of yesterday… E-Rantel has been overrun with undead." Marquis Raevan stated to the room. "Worse - it has been so for at least 4 days. Hundreds of thousands are possibly dead. The city's Adventurer's guild is doing what they can, but we need troops inside the city. Quickly."

Battle plans were briefly discussed. Under the King's order, 50,000 troops would be summoned in defense of the city within 4 days. Further plans would be discussed then.

When asked of his thoughts, Ainz had simply stated, "I shall consult my tomes for a possible solution while the troops are gathering."

* * *

_4 days later_

King Ramposa, along with the male members of the royal family, Gazef Stronoff, Sir Ainz, Marquis Raevan and his former Orichalchum Adventure's team had all re-gathered to discuss updates on what was happening. Marquis Raevan covered the troop movements first - essentially stating the army was ready to move at a moment's notice.

"I believe I may understand what is happening in E-Rantel, as well as a possible solution." Ainz stated simply.

"If you would, Sir Ainz, we would like to hear it then." Ramposa stated.

Ainz turned to the entire group, sharing his knowledge, "During my research into Necromancy, I've come across several magical rites and rituals to create undead. In one such case, the **Death Spiral** ritual, requires a tremendous loss of life to shroud the surrounding area in intense negative energy that, along with the destruction of a magical catalyst, transforms a willing nearby magical caster into a being of death, a powerful undead elder lich. I believe this is what is happening in E-Rantel." he stated.

"I heard this happened to another city before, back when I was an adventurer…" one of Marquis Raevan's Adventurers, Lundqvist whispered to Marquis Raevan.

Crown Prince Barbro sneered, "You dabble in Necromancy?" he asked in a loud, condescending tone.

Marquis Raevan noticed Sir Ainz turn to the man to confront him, "Crown Prince, my interest in the arcane is not a simple _hobby_. It is my craft. Much like how the Chief Warrior trains his entire body to fight - in focusing and expanding my knowledge I am better able to fight against those that also are able to use it. I would appreciate it if you did not make needless remarks."

Barbro, Marquis Raevan noticed with some satisfaction, appeared to be drilling holes into the man but did not say anything further.

It was King Ramposa who ended the tense silence, "That's the _why_… and your solution?"

Ainz withdrew something from his robes, a dull blue fist-sized crystal, and moved forward to place it on the war table dominating the center of the room. "During my travels, I have come into the possession of several priceless magical artifacts, such as this. This is a sealing crystal and contained within it is a holy spell of the 7th tier. With this I believe I can destroy the source of the undead and cleanse the negative energy of the area."

Marquis Raevan, who - like almost the entire room - had no idea how powerful the tiers of magic were, turned to his former Orichalcum magic caster, Lundqvist, for clarification. Lundqvist looked startled as he said to the Marquis and the surrounding nobles, "T-thats… thats beyond the realm of the gods! The spells of legend, even above the level of the Thirteen Heroes!"

Marquis Raevan was shocked, as the tales of the Thirteen Heroes were well-known, even within the Kingdom. The surrounding nobles expressed similar reactions. After a moment, Lundqvist turned to Marquis Raeven. "Shall I verify?" he asked.

At Marquis Raevan's nod, Lundqvist moved closer to the object, placing his hand in front of it. "**[Appraise Magical Item]**." After a moment, Lundqvist's brow furrowed. "It is indeed a sealing crystal but… it's empty?"

The entire room turned to look at Sir Ainz.

_Did you just lie?_ Several of them thought.

Ainz turned to Lundqvist, "I was not aware we had a magical caster within the Kingdom outside of the Adventurer's Guild?" he questioned slowly.

Marquis Raeven frowned with growing suspicion, his keen eyes narrowed. "He's a former Oricalchum Adventurer under my employ…"

"I see." said Ainz. "I admit, I wonder why you are using the 1st tier spell **[Appraise Magical Item] **and not the 6th tier **[Greater Appraise Magical Item]** that spells of the 7th tier and up require to identify?"

Lundqvist frowned, "I've... never heard of such a spell, though I am only able to cast up to the 3rd."

_That's because I just made it up_ Ainz thought within the privacy of his own mind, trying to dodge a bullet.

Lundqvist continued, "... You can cast spells of the 6th tier? That's a realm few in humanity can reach even on the entire continent, like the likes of Fluder Paradyne of the Empire!"

Ainz seemed to nod, "It is fitting then, that we are both Head Wizards of our nations."

Everyone in the room seemed startled. Even King Ramposa.

"Though… King Ramposa hadn't officially made the announcement yet. My apologies." Ainz said hesitantly as he turned to Ramposa.

"The cat is out of the bag now, Head Wizard." Ramposa said with a grin as he nodded.

In the end, it was decided that the Chief Warrior and Chief Wizard of The Kingdom would join the 50,000 troops that were being led under the leadership of Crown Prince Barbro to E-Rantel.

* * *

_Head Wizard's Carriage_

Ainz stepped into the carriage that would take him to E-Rantel for the 3 day journey. He stared at the figure sitting across from him.

"I trust you know what to do?..." Ainz asked him.

After a tense moment, the figure's back went ram-rod straight and the figure threw his arm out, so wide it almost hit the ceiling of the carriage, in a military salute.

"**Grüße Wundervoller Schöpfer!**" the figure of Ainz yelled passionately.

"**DO NOT SPEAK IN GERMAN IN FRONT OF ME!**" he yelled back.

****

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, have been sick for the past 4 days and having to work extra hours at work. However, my job is pretty mind-numbing so it gives me extra time to flesh out my plot points, so in a way - you as the reader - benefit. :P

There's been a lot of drama lately, but we're coming up on a lot of action with the next chapter - titled 'The Siege of E-Rantel'. See you there! ;)

The german translation is: 'Greetings, Wonderful creator!'

Thanks to all the reviews (lots of love)! At the time of this writing that is  
**Phillip222**  
**Eddie0020  
Yuriski-1st  
Withered Phoenix  
PervySageChuck  
Kilare T'suna  
Pwashington  
Thristan  
Jonu  
UndeadLord22  
Huehuecoyotl  
Lighting-Squall  
0November0  
Awareness Bringer  
Za Warudo  
Deliberatee  
Mike202303  
John Seps T-Ard Frost**


	8. The Siege of E-Rantel, part 1

_Fortress City of E-Rantel  
3 days before the Kingdom's army arrives at E-Rantel_

The meeting would take place in an abandoned building near the outskirts of the city. Demiurge had carefully prepared the protections of the room that would ensure they would not be overheard as he mentally reviewed the his report while prostrated, waiting for Lord Ainz to arrive. He waited over an hour before the scheduled time, in a display of obedience in case the master might test his loyalty by arriving early, before the image of his Master's magnificence appeared in the tell-tale flash of a teleportation spell.

"Demiurge..." he started as he noticed the, admittedly, poor imitation of throne of skulls that Demiurge had carefully constructed to imitate the throne of Nazarick. His lord looked at it for a moment before clearing his throat and remained standing as he continued to speak.

_Was it displeasing?_ Demiurge wondered. _No… perhaps I should have used __**all**_ _known races to construct it instead of mostly humans. Yes, I see now - if Lord Ainz had sat down now I might conclude he was satisfied with merely ruling over __**certain**_ _races. Maybe I should have used a Dragon's claw for the base instead? Lord Ainz, your wisdom is truly amazing. _

"I should thank you for your good work." Ainz continued. "Your reports have been most excellent and even with all the work I give you with the research into magic, subjugation of the demihumans near the Holy Kingdom, as well as gathering intelligence - you still are adamant it's not enough. You've earned yourself a reward after this is over."

Demiurge prostrated himself even further. "You are too kind, Lord Ainz. I am merely doing my duties as a floor guardian should require."

"Hmm…is that so? Well hard work should still be rewarded, in any case." Ainz said agreeably. "That's enough bowing, stand and make your report."

Demiurge straightened. _Truly there is no such other generous master in the entire world..._ "My lord, as stated in my report, E-Rantel is infested with undead that seem to be barely controlled and we know of the culprits as well as how, but not why. We have a shadow demon following one as we speak. Their forces move like normal undead and are attracted to the living but occasionally they will move in complete unison showing some semblance of being directed."

"I see." Ainz said. "What of the surviving populace of E-Rantel? Have you been able to follow my instructions?"

"Yes. To the letter, my lord." Demiurge confirmed. "Shall I bring the other one in now?"

At Ainz's nod, Demiurge clapped his hands twice. Another masked figure entered the room and silently prostrated themselves.

"Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, I have a task for you." Ainz said.

A high-pitched child-like voice filled the room in admiration, "I live to serve, my lord. Tell me your will and I shall carry it out."

Demiurge got the feeling Lord Ainz was smiling. "Entoma, while this is a task of great importance... I want you to revel in their suffering as a reward for helping Demiurge monitor the situation here. It is the responsibility of the hunter, after all, to enjoy _every part_ of the hunt of their prey and to make sure _nothing_ goes to waste."

Entoma voiced Demiurge's thoughts in a gushing voice, "You are too kind, Lord Ainz!"

"You were selected to bring Nazarick's retribution upon a certain someone - for the individual in question is guilty of one of the most heinous crimes _imaginable_." Ainz continued.

Demiurge and Entoma both stiffened as Lord Ainz' eyes filled with a deep red flickering flame. _Surely one wouldn't be so stupid as to…_

"They tried to force Ainz Ooal Gown to **bow** to them." Ainz said with no small amount of fury, confirming Demiurge's thoughts.

Entoma was drooling uncontrollably already in a mix of fury and glee at the unimaginable honor. _With luck, it might be a big strong male_ she privately thought _for I do love how their meaty, stringy arms taste._

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery Shrine  
3 days before the arrival of the Kingdom's Army at E-Rantel_

Khajiit Dale Badantel - one of the Twelve executives of Zurrernorn, a cult dedicated to the worship of death, was in an almost permanent state of euphoria due to the state of recent events and grew closer with each passing day.

_5 years… 5 long years… and it's almost complete!_

Khajiit had once been a young boy with the gift for magic among one of the Theocracy's smaller outlying villages. Through the discovery of his gifts his family had celebrated their good fortune, as in the Theocracy - if you registered your abilities with the nation you could be paid for offering up the information and possibly even be considered for recruitment into one of the scriptures - money equivalent to 1 month's work of labor; which for Khajiit's poor family was no small amount. Khajiit, like any young boy, had deeply loved his mother and he to this day still remembered the feeling of the knowledge of his gifts - how they had made her happy, '_See? It's not just I that sees you are special, Khajiit.' _ She had once told him with a smile. His family had been happy for a time after his schooling of magic had started.

That was when tragedy struck.

His mother had gotten deathly sick over the course of a week through an unknown illness. Khajiit felt powerless despite is considerable gifts that he could not heal her - and in the middle of the week that he was locked up looking for a cure, Khajiit would find out later that she succumbed to the illness. He had raced home immediately and 4 days later managed to place a newly-learned **[preservation]** spell on the body in secret, without telling his other brothers and father and hid her remains in a meadow by their village, her favorite place.

During his brief magical instruction, Khajiit had found he had a gift of the magic of the dead, Necromancy, and hoped to find a way to revive his mother - who he knew would not survive the normal resurrection of the priests of the church. To his intense anguish, he soon found that higher resurrection magic still required a body that was freshly dead and not over 3 days old.

He had missed the deadline by one day.

When he returned home one day to his family he had found his father had found his mother's body and after a family argument, disowned Khajiit for desecrating his mother's body and turned to burn the body to give the woman's spirit rest.

Khajiit in a rit of rage and knowing if her body was damaged even the highest resurrection spells in existence wouldn't return her to life - slew his father and brothers on the spot with his gifts.

Much time later, as a member of the black scripture, he had learned of the group known as Zurrernorn - a death cult, that destroyed an outlying city and one of the members had been turned into a lich - a being whose knowledge over death was unrivalled. Feeling that his knowledge over death might help him still resurrect his mother - he began working in secret with them. To his dismay the first lich that was one of the members of Zurrernorn was almost immediately slain after the transformation and it took many years for Khajiit to piece together how the process was completed.

_A process I am now but on the cusp of finishing._ He thought, as he stroked the coffin in the E-Rantel cemetery that contained the still preserved body of his mother.

"Khajiiiit~~! Where aaare youuu~~?" came the sing-song voice of his… regretfully, much-needed co-conspirator. Khajiit ground his teeth. _What a loon, I'm glad I got out of the scripture before she joined…_

"What do you want, Clementine? Don't you have something to do besides bother me all the time?!" he ground out.

The woman, Clementine, whose face and blonde hair was styled curvy and wide enough to resemble a cat's, looked bored as she inspected some of the coffins in the cemetery. "I'm bored."

_If I could kill her right now…_ he thought. "Then go somewhere else and find something to do."

"There aren't enough people to kill." she said in a nasal-y, whiney voice. "...you keep **taking all of THEM-!**" she growled as she turned towards Khajiit and threw one of her four stilettos at him quickly.

"**[Bone Wall]!**" Khajiit intoned as a solid wall of bones at least two feet thick and 8 feet long appeared in the path of the weapon flying at him as it rebounded off of it with a 'CLACK clack clack', bouncing off the floor.

Khajiit was livid. "Are you out of your _**mind**_?! If you kill me, how am I supposed **to COVER YOUR **_**ESCAPE**_?!" he reminded her.

Clementine put a finger up to her mouth and looked up in thought, "Oh yeaaa~~... haaa~ I forgot."

_I had no children specifically for this reason, and yet I must still babysit a rampaging psychopath._ Khajiit thought.

"But it's no fun anymore… all that's left are copper, iron, and silver plates." Clementine whined again.

"...**and?** … That's what most of your armor is anyway, **what's a few more?!**" Khajiit said, trying to get her out of his hair. _I swear I will tell you a cliff has a copperplate if you would just jump off it and leave me alone._

"Khajiit~... have you been looking at my armor? You are a nnaaauuuughty~ boooyyyy~." she sang for a moment. "It would totally mess up my **color scheme**." she continued seriously.

Khajiit briefly wondered if his teeth might break with how hard he was grinding them. "**Fine!**" he said. "I'll help you eliminate one of the pockets of resistance still left and then you leave me alone for a while, **got it**? Will that satisfy you?"

"I knew you liked me under that big, _old~, _wuff~ extheerrreer.~~" she happily chirped at him, exiting the shrine of the cemetery

_Are you really baby talking a man four times your age? _ He thought as he too exited, after manipulating his undead though the boy with the _Crown of Wisdom_ upon his head, Nfirea Bareare.

* * *

_Somewhere in the city of E-Rantel  
3 days before the Kingdom's Army arrives at E-Rantel_

"**[Magic Arrow]!**"

There was only one thing Ninya of the adventurer's group known as 'The Swords of Darkness' knew right now, as her spell slammed into one of the countless walking corpses that slowly shambled toward their group.

That was that her home, E-Rantel, had swiftly turned into the domain of hell from her nightmares over the course of almost a week.

According to reports from the city guard, the infestation had started at the cemetery. No one knew the how or why's, as the few Adventurer's teams that were within the city at the time were hard at work doing what they could to protect the citizens, much less investigate… but Ninya knew the truth. There was simply too many undead to deal with. The Guild Building had been swiftly overrun by the shambling corpses since most of the 700 adventurer's in the city were iron, copper, and silver plates and to cover the area the size of the city they would need far more.

As a result of this, Ninya and the rest of the Swords of Darkness, were currently trying to find survivors that had hold up in their homes to try to wait out the undead storm that was approaching - and to bring them to the Governor's mansion, one of the few areas of the city that had been suggested to turn into a stronghold. Being a walled, fenced-in area, it would be difficult for simple zombies and skeletons to get through… that was the reasoning, anyway.

The leader of the group, Peter Mauk, stepped in front of Ninya protectively as another of the undead wave of monsters appeared in their path trying to get through back to the governor's mansion. "Dyne!" he said.

Their druid, the friendly bear-sized man Dyne Woodwonder, nodded his head. "Got it." he said as he crouched and placed one of his hands on the ground, which lit up as he said, "**[Twine Plant]**."

Though it was a city road and plants were sparse in the area, a few roots did manage to sneak through the cracks in the cobble-stone road and at the edges of the road where weeds were more plentiful and several of the zombies were grabbed by the offending plant life.

Lukrut, their ranger, proved his marksmanship as the taunt string of his bow came to life with a sharp '_twang_' as his physically-launched arrow collided not long after Ninya's magically enhanced one - into the head of the closest body that fell to the ground with a '_thud'._

Several '_thud'_s followed as the well-coordinated team of the Sword of Darkness dispatched the remaining corpses with precision and teamwork. As the last body fell, Lukrut finished scouting the area before finally Peter turned behind them and shouted, "Ok, the path is clear! Move on up!"

The Swords of Darkness team were the frontline of their group. Each adventurer team left within the city was led by a leader of at least mithril rank, as the guild had made the decision to even out the ability of the teams rather than have only a few mithril teams and risk the strongholds around the city from being overrun because of weakness.

The Swords of Darkness's Mithril-ranked leader was a man named Igvarge. His position was to watch over the civilians and to ensure they didn't get cut off and surrounded. He came closer to them with the twelve people they had managed to rescue so far.

"Nice work." Igvarge said. "Let's finish getting these people back to the mansion, it shouldn't be that far ahead."

Lukrut ran forward on ahead, before peeking around a building at the street ahead. Ninya from her position could see him stiffed, before he slowly creeped backwards to them. "This is bad…" he said in a whisper. "There's a horde that's gathering all around the mansion and even more in the street. They have it complete surrounded, I don't see a way inside.

Igvarge furrowed his brows at the news. "It's almost nightfall… if we can't get inside before the sunlight, which is weakening the undead, ends then…"

"Things will be much worse." Peter summed up.

Ninya noticed Lukrut suddenly turn his head off in a direction, "... we have company… I can't tell what but whatever it is it's big."

They all fell silent as after a few seconds there was a distinct the '_clash, clash, clash'_ of the sound of heavy armor before it grew louder… and louder…

"It's coming right for us!" Lukrut said, backing up to protect the civilians, though they did not know what it was yet.

Ninya had wished the situation had stayed that way.

Because from around the corner on the other side of the street, a _monsterous_ form of an undead in heavy, black armor and reddish, dessicated skin appeared with a shield and twisted, snake-like sword larger than Dyne Woodwonder, their druid… and was headed right for them. Ninya backed up in disbelief as Peter and Igvarge moved forward to protect the group.

"We need to get out of here!" Ninya said in a panic. _What kind of undead is that? I've never seen one as big as this before, it's the size of an Ogre!_

"We can't." growled Igvarge. "We have kids and civilians back there. We need to destroy this thing together and retreat to find a place to stay until daybreak."

They all felt the slight shake of the ground as the monstrous form of some sort of twisted, ogre-sized knight continued towards them. Lukrut pulled his bow back from his shoulders and readied another arrow that released with a '_twang'_. It bounced harmlessly off the creature, Lukrut cursing under his breath, swapping his weapons to favor his shortsword, as the creature was moving towards them so fast he wouldn't get another shot.

_clash - Clash - CLASH - CLASH -CLASH_

Ninya's eyes widened as it approached within the range of her spells. Though she had used most of them, she still had one left. "**[Reinforce Armor]**!" she cried as Peter was bathed in a soft green light. Ninya saw Dyne grip his mace tightly.

Igvarge growled, changing his stance to give him some stability to take a blow. "Get ready, Peter!" he yelled as they both raised their shields. The creature was upon them, it's sword swung out, as if to cleave them both in two.

"**[Fortress]!**" Peter cried.

"**[Aegis]!**" Igvarge growled.

Ninya had shut her eyes in prayer, as exhausted of spells as she was there wasn't really anything else a caster like her could do, as she felt something warm splatter against her face.

_SPLAT_

"**AAAAAHHHHHH!**" she heard the cry of Peter in anguish.

Ninya opened her eyes to see the bisected body of Igvarge, his intestines spread over the ground as his blood spread out like someone had dropped a bucket of red paint on the ground.

The same blood that had splashed on Ninya's face.

"**PETER!**" Lukrut cried.

Peter Mauk was still standing, but his shield had been split in half and the undead's Sword had cleaved into his side. The sword was coated with blood and Ninya wasn't exactly sure if it was Igvarge's or Peter's. The creature violently jerked the sword out of Peter, Ninya again getting sprayed in the face with blood - this time her friends'.

Peter fell immediately to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut, still screaming. "**AHHH!**" Ninya felt powerless as she watched her friend start to bleed and die in front of her as she saw his face was already losing color.

As the creature raised it's sword or finish Peter off, they all heard a sound off in the distance. Ninya realised with a start what it was, as the sound had accompanied the coming of every night for the last several days.

The cry of a skeletal dragon - a warning to the living that night was coming. That hell was just beginning.

The creature had froze mid-swing for several moments, before it suddenly turned away from them and began to run away. Ninya felt it wanted to gather with it's fellows and go after bigger fish to fry… more souls to slaughter than their measly 15 could provide.

"**Dyne!**" Lukrut yelled as he grabbed Peter's hand trying to urge him to stay conscious, "**Help him!**" His color was fading fast and his entire body was shaking as if someone had dunked ice-water on him.

"**[Healing Light]!**"

* * *

_E-Rantel  
Kingdom Army's Arrival  
Command Tent_

Crown Prince Barbro sat viewing the map of E-Rantel with his trusted advisors, making plans on how to deal with getting into the city. To his dismay, the Chief Warrior and Chief Wizard both entered the room.

"So, Crown Prince... What's the plan?" Gazef asked.

One of Barbro's advisors, Marquis Boullope, father of the woman the Barbro was supposed to marry once he took the crown of Re-Estize, spoke up. "The gates to the city are locked. We will need to prepare siege equipment to get into the city."

"And how long will that take?" Gazef asked.

"A day, maybe two." Boullope replied.

"I can get the gate open in far less time, if you will allow it." Ainz said.

Boullope glared at the man, "Under the authority of the King, it is the **Crown Prince** leading this force, _wizard._ Not you."

"Crown Prince, we don't have time for this." Ainz said. "Our people are dying on the other side of those walls every day. If we can save even a single person sooner, we should take that option."

Gazef nodded his head in agreement.

_As much as I don't want to agree with you, wizard… you are right. There will be far greater glory in completing this quickly. When I am King I will personally have you arrested for talking back to me and if your girl is lucky, I might use her as my plaything before I strangle her with my bare hands._

"See to it then." _The glory will be mine._

* * *

_Outside the City of E-Rantel  
_  
"_Why did they tell us to gather here? We should be building the siege equipment right now…"_

"_Who is that?"_

"_Is that our new Head Wizard?"_

"_That's Sir Ainz! He saved my brother a month ago..."_

"_They say he's as powerful as that wizard from the Empire…"_

"_My father told me his mistress says even dragon's fear him…"_

"_So calm! He must be helping to soothe the troops in the face of such evil we're about to witness in the city..."_

Arthur Peddington, one of the common soldiers that made up the army, watched as the Chief Wizard, the man known simply as Ainz, slowly walked up to the gates of the Fortress City of E-Rantel as whispers from the other soldiers broke out all around Arthur from the other soldiers as the man passed them. Arthur noticed the Head Warrior, Gazef Stronoff, in all of his battle-attire afforded by the Kingdom - was walking with Sir Ainz. They seemed to speak to each other before Gazef stopped and turned back to the group of soldiers that made up Arthur's company.

"You there," Gazef point at their unit. "You men all need to step to the side. The Chief Wizard needs space to work his magic."

_We are already 30 feet back, how much more space does the man need?_ Arthur thought as Gazef herded them to the side. One soldier next to Arthur even had the courage to say those exact words to the Head Warrior. Gazef gave the man a hard look.

"Though I'm not sure of the details, myself." Gazef admitted as he supervised the repositioning of their unit, "But, I have no doubt that you will remember this day for what is about to happen... When Sir Ainz the forces the gates open, we are to charge."

"When he _forces the gates_ _open_?!" a soldier asked incredulously, "Master Gazef… we haven't even begun building the siege equipment yet!… How..."

The wind started to howl and blow so roughly it drowned out the rest of what the soldier had said, as the capes of some of the officers and Gazef, along with the robes of Sir Ainz flapped powerfully in the wind as Arthur saw a flash of gold appear in Sir Ainz' hand and Arthur realised he must be clutching his magician's stave, a common staple among magic casters. The wind died down as the entire clearing slowly fell into silence, enough that Arthur could make out the words of the Chief Wizard, Sir Ainz.

"**[Force Explosion]!**" the Head Wizard intoned as Arthur saw the very air in front of the caster distort, not unlike it sometimes did during the hot days of the summer, as a visible rippling wave of power radiated out from his form and swiftly approached the wall.

_BOOM!_

The very gates of E-Rantel, fortified with thick iron plates and at least 8 feet thick blocks of wood, as well as the frame of the gatehouse itself, _shuddered_ as though it had just been struck by a catapult - as bits of stone and wood separated from the structure. Arthur noticed several figures on top of the battlements were thrown from the wall as large amounts of dust and dirt from the surroundings created a cloud so thick it took a moment to dissipate. When it had cleared there was a man-sized gash cut deeply into the wood across the front of the gate.

"**[Piercing Magic: Death Dragon's Bone Lance]!**" the wizard said as something _ripped_ from the ground beside the caster to hover in front of him, pointing directly at the gates of E-Rantel. With a start, Arthur noticed it was the body part of a creature descended from the myths from stories of his village's priest.

Namely, the 15-foot long slightly curved form of the rib of an Elder Dragon, nearly as thick as a horse.

It hovered in place for a moment when suddenly it shot forward, so fast that Arthur had trouble following it with his eyes, with a slight '_swish' _through the air as it impacted against the gash in the gates from the explosion before.

_CCCRRRAAACCCKKK - SCREEEEAAAAACCCCHHHHH_ echoed across the clearing as the sound of wood being forced apart and of metal being scraped against filled the air. Half of the bone was embedded into the gate.

..._Gods above..._

The some of the soldiers turned back to the caster, wide-eyed, as he did not seem to be finished, for he had raised his staff into the air.

"**[Summon: Primal Earth Elemental]!**" he cast.

The ground started to shake as the earth trembled in the clearing and several of the soldiers around Arthur had to use the butts of their spears to keep their balance. The ground behind the Chief Wizard seemed to bulge upward as bits of rock and dirt compacted before slowly taking a shape before the army's very eyes. A second passed as it grew and gained more definition and Arthur realised with a start what it was.

It was the powerful shape of an arm - three times the length of Arthur's entire body.

..._Is this …_

The elemental slowly began to gain more definition as it pulled itself out of very planet itself as it seemed to give birth to a frightening power before the troops very eyes - as if the land was taking its place on their side to end the suffering of their fellow citizens. Seconds of this passed before the hulking 15-meter tall creature, almost as tall as the gate itself, emerged from the ground. It stood on uneven legs and its form was a bit misshapen - as if a child had made a clay doll, though there was no doubt it was imposing, for the flat rock that was in place of one of its hands was at least the length of two men.

The creature seemed to _loom_ over the form of Sir Ainz as its feature-less head stared down at the gate before it - _stepped over_ \- the Chief Wizard, who's robes fluttered from the displaced air as the creature only allowed _inches_ of space between them, and started to increase its slow speed as it broke into a run towards the gate of E-Rantel. When it grew close to it, the creature pulled back it's massive boulder-sized rock-hand and _slammed_ it against the rib of bone that was still sticking out of the gate.

_BOOM! - SCREEEEAAAAACCCCHHHHH_

With one blow, it drove the rib into the door until only the last few feet were sticking out - Three-fourths of the lance were embedded into the gates of E-Rantel. The elemental then grabbed the side of the bone lance and braced against one side of the gates and silently _heaved_, pulling at the object in a way that Arthur distantly thought might resemble the way one might try to pry open a jewelry box. The effect was immediate.

The was an audible '_crack… crack… crack' _of wood groaning and splintering that echoed across the clearing.

..._The true power of mankind?..._

The sound increased quickly with a '_crack… crack, crack, crack - CRACK-CRACK-__**CRACK**__!_ _**BOOOOOOOM**__!_

The doors of E-Rantel, the most heavily-fortified border city of the Kingdom, had busted open for them in less than five minutes.

No one moved. Even Gazef, the Head Warrior, displayed some hesitation as he pulled himself together after a moment and gave the order to charge, with a cry of "**For the Kingdom!**" as he unsheathed his sword so high into the air that light gleamed off of it.

As the troops started to move, Arthur heard a powerful voice emanate from Sir Ainz at his back as he and the rest of his unit ran forward to face the horrors of inside the city as the wizard shouted, "**[Widen Magic: Amplification]!**" spread his arms out wide, just like the gates of E-Rantel, and continued to speak.

"**Hear me and rejoice, surviving citizens of E-Rantel!**"

The man's voice seemed to come from all around Arthur and reverberate into his very soul and Arthur realised the entire city must be hearing the man as well - and privately thought _Give them hope, Sir Ainz…_

"_**For you are now under the protection of the Greatest Magic Caster this world has ever known. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, Head Wizard of The Kingdom! Help has arrived and your nightmare in E-Rantel is now ending! We are coming!**_"

_**A/N:**_ Ainz doesn't get mad, he gets vicious! D  
Several more canon characters appear...

I pictured the song 'Vile Tribe' from Lunar: The Silver Star Story playing in the background of the scene of E-Rantel's gate. It's worth a listen on youtube. ;)

Next chapter might take a few days to get out, because of work, but I hope to see you all there!

Chapter 7 has only been out for a less than a day, but thanks to all the reviews so far!  
At the time of this writing that is  
**PervySageChuck  
Salomega  
0November0  
Vulcunniko  
Mike202303  
Sirius  
Grothor  
Pwashington  
Lighting-Squall  
Eddie0020  
Awareness Bringer  
Deliberatee  
Morality is a Spook  
John Seps T-Ard Frost  
RyuujiVantek  
Tanya von Degurechaff  
Undeadlord22**


	9. The Siege of E-Rantel, part 2

_Great Tomb of Nazarick  
8th Floor  
Cherry Blossom Sanctuary_

_3 days before army's arrival in E-Rantel_

Aureole Omega, area guardian of the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary and watcher of the Nazarick's Teleportation system as well as protector of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, stood with her hands clasped together inside the sleeves of her white miko haori with her head slightly bowed in deference of her great master. Behind her within it's protected glass, lie a treasure of the Supreme Beings, The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. It was placed near the base of a large cherry blossom tree that the sanctuary was named after.

She stood before the enigmatic Lord of Nazarick himself, who was accompanied by a doppelganger dressed in strange attire that had immediately dropped into a gentlemen's bow and Aureole could still hear him mumbling under his breath about being in the presence of "beautiful flowers".

…

_Flowers? … Oh. I see. The cherry blossoms… did Lord Ainz also love flowers so much he imbued his creation with this? What a great lord, to appreciate such beauty within Nazarick._

…

Amid her ponderings, her attention drew back to her lord as she silently chidded herself on not paying better attention as Lord Ainz was waiting for a response on what he had just told her.

"I understand." she said simply.

"Then to confirm, repeat back to me what I just said…?" Lord Ainz said before there was a short '_crack'_ and both Aureole and Lord Ainz turned to glance at the doppelganger, Pandora's Actor, as he had immediately frozen into a _very_ stiff salute.

"... Ah - Pandora is being authorized use of the Guild Weapon, your grace." Aureole summarized as again, Pandora continued his strange behavior as Aureole detected the visible trembles that were going through his body, Lord Ainz - to his credit - seemed to notice as well but chose to ignore it.

"... _ahem_. Yes, well… yes, that will be all, Aureole." Lord Ainz said as he turned towards Pandora. "Pandora, even though you may not be able to actually _use_ the Staff, you may still have access to it to give credit to your disguise as myself if such a situation ever arises… Now then, as we discussed earlier - meet me inside the carriage at the estate in Re-Estize in two hours." Lord Ainz said and then disappeared from Aureole's sight.

Both Aureole and Pandora stood in tense silence for a moment before the odd doppelganger started trembling even more… before finally in a voice filled with emotion and reverence he grabbed at the strange hat he wore on his head and pulled it down to cover his face.

"In all my life… I never expected…Lord Ainz..." he said as he started walking towards Aureole.

…

…_?_

...

"_Lord Ainz… __**Lord~ Ainz~!**_ _to - !"_ he said as he launched himself in Aureole's direction.

She stepped quickly out of the way, still in the same position she had been in Lord Ainz's presence. Pandora seemed to give it no thought as he continued on right past her - to the pedestal that housed Guild Weapon of Ainz Ooal Gown within a protective case.

"- _to reward me with the __**highest of honors!**_" Pandora said as Aureole briefly thought if doppelgangers could cry in their natural form - this creature certainly would be - as he began stroking the glass in reverence.

"_The Most~ Powerful~… __**No!**_ _The __**Greatest~**_ _Magical~ Weapon~ in __**Existence~!**_… _**The Magnificent Staff of the Supreme Creator himself~**__!..."_

… _Well, _Aureole privately thought. _I suppose I am a little envious as well… but why does he have to display it in such a strange way?_

_..._

"_Lord Ainz… __**Lord~**_ _**Ainz~!**_…" Pandora said as Aureole watched him slowly turned into a bumbling mess of emotion, only able to get out those 2 words for an entire hour before leaving for his meeting with his creator, stroking the glass housing the Guild Weapon the entire time.

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery  
Outside E-Rantel Cemetery Shrine  
3 days before the Kingdom Army's Arrival in E-Rantel_

Upon exiting the E-Rantel Cemetery Shrine, Khajiit nearly bumped into Clementine as she had stopped at the entrance. He frowned at her. She didn't appeared to noticed Khajiit as she was staring at someone in the cemetery. He followed her gaze and saw a masked man in black and purple robes slowly walking in their direction.

Right past the undead corpses that were shambling around in the cemetery.

… _How do they not notice him? Is he masking his presence?... Damnit, I can't go back to manipulate them through the boy since Clementine is useless against spells._

"Khajiit~? Is this a friend of yours?" Clementine asked. "And here I thought you only had those worshipers with you. Have you been holding out of meee~?"

"No. I don't know who this man is." Khajiit said snarkily as he starred the figure down.

The man stopped not far in front of them. "Greetings." he said in a deep voice. "I take it you are the parties responsible for the current state of the city?"

Clementine slowly started to put distance between the three of them, circling around the man as she took off the cloak that she wore. "Oh, maaaybe~... Are you here to stop little ol' meee~?" she asked.

"Stop you? Hmm…" the man seemed to pause in thought. "I guess you could say that, depending on your answers. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and skip introductions. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown and I am _very_ interested in the situation you've created here in E-Rantel."

_Interested? … This man isn't with Zurrernorn, so why… No matter. My skeletal dragon is out right now so to be safe, I should buy time to keep this man talking while it's returning._

"...Khajiit." Khajiit hesitantly said.

"Haaah?" Clementine said in puzzlement. "Khajiit~...you wouldn't be betraying me now, _would you_? **I'll kill you…**"

"Shut up, Clementine!" Khajiit ground out distractedly. _You stupid woman..._

"I see." said the figure, Ainz. "Well then, Clementine and Khajiit. To what purposes did you unleash the undead within the city?"_  
_

_I'm not about to tell you that._ Khajiit thought, but before he could say anything Clementine beat him to the punch.

"I just want to make everyone scream-_scream-__**SCREAM!**_" she said as she launched herself at the magic caster.

"I see." was all Ainz said before Khajiit saw Clementine get within striking distance before the man said two more words. "Shadow Demon."

"W-wha-" Clementine was immediately stopped but Khajiit could not immediately tell by what. Upon closer inspection, he could see the woman's own _shadow_ had her grabbed by the arms which were holding her stilettos and she was straining to get to the caster, judging by how she was slowly struggling forward inch by inch. "**I-I'll… KILL… YOU-!**"

_A demonologist?! _Khajiit thought.

"Oh?" Ainz said as he turned to her. "You're not as weak as you look, Clementine." he said as she continued to slowly gain ground towards him. "Here, let me help you." he said as he placed a lone finger on her forehead. "**[Paralysis]**."

Clementine's body dropped to the ground with a '_thud_'. _Dammit… _Khajiit thought. _Just a bit longer…_

Ainz continued to stare down at Clementine for a moment. "You seem determined to ruin my good mood, Clementine. You might even say I feel indebted to you. After all, if you two hadn't turned E-Rantel into a city of death, I might have had to fabricate a similar situation to spread my good name… but we'll get back to you." he said as he turned back toward Khajiit. "I hope you are smarter than your companion, Khajiit."

_Fabricate a similar situation?_ Khajiit wondered. … _Damnit, I need a little more time. Demonology wasn't my forte so I don't know what sort of spells he is able to use and I can't use dragon lightning or I'll hit Clementine, as much as I want to… The truth might be the best defense and he doesn't seem to mind the killing… What are you after, Ainz? Are you hoping to stop me and turn yourself into a greater demon?_

"... it's a process to turn myself into a lich…" Khajiit ground out.

Ainz seemed surprised. "Truly? Hmm… This process differs greatly from what I know."

Khajiit was surprised as well. _What he knows?... Is this a fellow worshiper of death?_

Ainz continued amid Khajiit's inner ramblings, "I'm curious, how do you intend to complete the transformation without sacrificing a demon as well as drinking it's soul essence, as described in the Book of Perpetual Darkness?"

Khajiit's eyes widened. Though he did not know of what the man spoke of, it was clear to Khajiit he also knew something he did not. _This man knows another way to become a lich?!_

Ainz turned his head to the side as Khajiit's Skeletal Dragon had finally came to land near him. "Oh? You've brought me a gift? I must say, it's appreciated."

Khajiit was just about to order the Dragon to stand down to see what other mysteries the caster might know, before he cut him off.

"I haven't been able to make one myself yet, after all. **[Boosted Magic: Control Undead]**."

… _Perhaps this man doesn't know as much as I thought, if he thinks a creature immune to magic could be- _that was when he felt it.

"-**Gah!**" Khajiit spit out and heavily leaned on his staff as his mind felt a _crushing_ force come upon it as he tried to resist giving up control of his personal summon. His jaw in his head locked up and he'd felt a splitting headache as he felt something warm start a path down his nose as he distantly realised he was bleeding as he slowly was forced to his knees. He felt like he was in the middle of running a marathon while he couldn't breath.

_W-W-What i-is t-this?!_ _T-This… o-o-overwhelming… _Khajiit could barely think straight.

"Hmm? You are resisting?" Ainz said, apparently just noticing. Khajiit noticed he only seemed surprised and not at all struggling like Khajiit was.

Khajiit was struggling to breath while holding control of the dragon. His staff dropped to the side with a '_clack clack_' as it fell onto the ground. Khajiit's hands had grasped at the dirt of find purchase. He was already sweating from the supreme force of will that it took not to pass out. _I-I'm going to die if this keeps up…_ he thought as his body started to shake, before finally he relinquished control of the creature as he felt his heart beat dangerously in his chest. The pressure vanished so fast Khajiit might have thought he imagined it… if he were not still gasping for breath.

"Beautiful creature." he heard Ainz say. There was the shifting sound of robes. "I must say, Khajiit, it's refreshing you know your place, after all." In the position that Khajiit was still in, trying to calm his body down from the great stress it had just went through - the irony was not lost on him. He was bowed before the man.

Khajiit could only come to one conclusion. Only one being had such a mastery over death such as this. Khajiit's head jerked up to Ainz. "Y-you're a master of death?!" he gasped out.

"No." Ainz said as he reached up to finally remove his mask. "I am it's **Overlord**. It is the Masters who serve _**me**_."

* * *

_Somewhere in the City of E-Rantel  
3 days before the Kingdom's Army arrival in E-Rantel_

Dyne Woodwonder softly shut the room he had just exited with a soft '_click_' of the door latching.

After Peter had been injured, Dyne had exhausted his remaining mana just to get the wound to completely close - and had given the man the group's sole remaining healing potion to help replenish his low blood supply as he was dangerously low. After they had gotten Peter partially back on his feet, Lukrut and the others managed to scout out a large 2-story abandoned building that had a view of the governor's mansion and was far enough away that they shouldn't attract unnecessary attention.

On the way here though, they had run into a large group of undead. Lukrut and Dyne had managed to slowly whittle them down - but one of the civilians in their care had been killed and Ninya - who was supporting Peter walking - had been injured.

"How is he?" Lukrut asked, his face - much like Dyne's - was grave and pale with worry.

"He's lost a lot of blood… the potion will need time to fix his body, but as long he can rest and the wound doesn't re-open... I think he should be able to recover." Dyne replied.

Lukrut sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

Dyne felt the same way as he nodded and said, "Keep an eye on him. I'm going to go check on Ninya. He was bitten pretty badly." He continued on down the hall and knocked gently on the room at Ninya had claimed. There was a slight rustling of fabric before he was allowed entry. As Dyne entered the room, he noticed a pile of blood-stained bandages on the bed that Ninya was sitting on.

_Did he already start addressing the wound? … No, we barely just got here… Did he already have bandages on? Does he have a previous injury?_

"Ninya," Dyne started. "Lukrut said you got bit. I need to look at the wound."

Dyne noticed Ninya stiffen as he covered his arm across his chest. "It's fine, Mr. Dyne. It just broke into the skin…" Ninya said as he looked anywhere in the room but at Dyne.

Dyne frowned. _Poor kid probably doesn't want us worrying about him with the state that Peter is in… _"Be that as it may, Ninya, you haven't been hurt badly before and to my knowledge you don't know how to address wounds so that they don't become infected." He said as he walked closer to Ninya, pointing at the bandages. "It is obviously not just a scratch like you claim."

Ninya, still sitting on the bed, had started to edge away from Dyne. "Dyne. Stop. It's fine." he said in a hard voice.

Dyne's frown deepened. _Why is he making such a big deal out of this?_ He reached out of grab Ninya's robe. "Ninya, we don't have time for this. There's nothing wrong with requiring assistance when you are injured. We need everyone in good condition if we are to survive."

Ninya looked panicked. "Dyne. Stop it. **Let go of me!**" He said as he grabbed at Dyne's hand with both of his, trying to pull away.

Dyne grabbed the bottom of the robe and pulled it up, "Ninya. _You're being ridiculous._ I'm just trying to _help!_"

"**NO! DON'T!**"

Dyne jumped back and let Ninya go in surprise. _What the-?_ Ninya was pale as Dyne had ever seen the magic caster and looked scared out of their wits and looked to be on the verge of crying, before the figure fled the room in tears.

"_Wait! Ninya-!_" Dyne said as he finally recovered and turned to Ninya as the Talent Holder just finished rounding the corner of the doorway. He knew why Ninya had run… For just above her wound, he had seen the cream-colored soft globes of flesh that most _certainly_ had no part on a man's body.

* * *

_Outside E-Rantel Cemetery Shrine  
3 days before the Kingdom Army's Arrival in E-Rantel_

_T-This man…!_ Khajiit couldn't believe his luck.

_This man looks just like Lord Surshana! Right down to the odd pointed chin and crow footed eye sockets! No, it could __**BE **__Lord Surshana!_ He thought.

Indeed he did. Each of the Six Great Gods of the Theocracy had statues of the Six Great Gods in each of their shrines and churches - the creature before him, Ainz, bore an incredible likeness to Surshana. Known as Strongest of the Six Great Gods, Lord Surshana outlived all the other gods of the theocracy as it was only he who was a true master of death. He had met his end over 200 years ago to the Eight Greed Kings, according to tradition.

_And yet he's standing right before me! It was possible that I still wouldn't find the knowledge I seeked as a lich but surely such a being…!_

"Ainz… no, Lord Ainz! I submit myself before your unmatched mastery over death."

"... I see." came the reply. "As a fellow appreciator of my craft, I would like to learn of what you know… however..." Ainz turned to Clementine, who was still on the ground, frozen. "What I do _**not**_ need…" he said as he picked her up by the throat and held her out in front of him as he seemed to end the **[paralysis]** spell as she started grabbing at his arms. "-Is a _**useless**_ psychopath with a penchant for mindless killing."

Khajiit could see Ainz was slowly crushing her windpipe as she started to hit and kick his arm. "Tell me, is that all you are, Clementine? I wish to know."

"**-ack!, -gah! Screw y-!**" was all she was able to get out before Khajiit heard the sound a piece of leather might make when it was gripped too roughly. Clementine's eyes widened and she slowly started to turn blue in the face.

"Lord Ainz…" Khajiit started to say.

"What is it?" Ainz said absently, as he was focused on Clementine.

Khajiit gulped. _I can't believe I'm about to do this… but I do owe her for furthering my own plans in E-Rantel… and maybe if she's somehow useful to him… _"My lord… she's… resourceful. She might be useful to you."

Judging by how Clementine's neck hadn't snapped yet and she had suddenly gasped for breath, he had heard Khajiit. "How so?" came the doubtful reply.

"She… stole one of the treasures of the Theocracy. The _Crown of Wisdom_… it's a powerful magical item, my lord." Khajiit said slowly.

"...You have been to the treasury?" came the guarded reply. Clementine got even more breaths out.

"... No…" her eyes widened again as Khajiit saw Ainz clench his grip again. "**-ack! -Gah!**" she struggled again as she clutched at his hand, "**wai- WAIT! -ack!**"

"If you have not been to the treasury, then I have no _use_ for you." Ainz said.

"**I- I know, -ack, of -ome, -gah, ITEMS KEPT-!**" Clementine struggled to get out.

"And how would you know that? Do not _lie_ to me." came the doubtful reply of Ainz. Clementine wasn't able to get anything further out.

"... my lord, she is a former member of the black scripture, like myself." Khajiit said, still bowed.

Clementine got out more mouthfuls of air as Ainz seemed to ponder the information. "Well, Clementine…" he started. "It seems your co-conspirator may have just saved your life, for the time being." He pulled her close to his face until Ainz could see his own reflection of his eyes in hers. "You will tell me _everything_ you know of these items in exchange for attacking me. Is that clear? If you refuse I have no issue getting the information in other ways."

She nodded her head with wide eyes, still trying to pull back from him. "However useful you might be as a guinea pig for testing memory spells with a fractured mind like yours… I do not have a place for subordinates who cannot follow orders. You will do what I tell you to or your life is forfeit. I will strike you down and raise you into a form that is much more capable of understanding my intent. Is this also clear?" Another nod.

"Good. Your first task will be to beat Gazef Stronoff in a duel. If you cannot do this, I will kill you."

* * *

_Outside the City of E-Rantel  
The Kingdom Army's Arrival_

"_**For you are now under the protection of the Greatest Magic Caster this world has ever known. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, Head Wizard of the Kingdom! Help has arrived and your nightmare in E-Rantel is now ending! We are coming!**_"

_...This… This…_

Crown Prince Barbro sat upon his trusted white thoroughbred warhorse, one of his many gifts from Eight Fingers, overlooking his troops at the back of the formation. Marquis Boullope and Marquis Blumrush were next to him along with his personal guard that he had brought with him to protect himself as they overlooked the city. Barbro was livid.

"...This _son of a BITCH!_" he finally growled, voicing his thoughts. "He didn't even _mention_ me. WHO DOES HE THINK IS LEADING THIS FORCE?! Who gave him permission to open the gates?!"

Boullope nodded next to him. "He will learn the error of his ways, my prince. When you are _King._"

Barbro ignored him. "_Damnit_! Now I have to go out there and actually _do_ something to gain fame. _Me!_ The Crown Prince! It's such a… _commoner's_ way of doing things." he said distastefully.

"I could send a messenger out to inform my captain to detain the mistress for questioning, my prince…" Marquis Blumrush informed him. "... It's shameful to admit, but with the man's raw power a direct confrontation would be ill-advised. It's obvious that he conspires against the crown, therefore we must use our _brains_ to catch a traitor, my lord. I'm sure the girl would be more than willing to… _submit_ under your _personal_ questioning, my prince?" he hinted.

Barbro grinned. "It is as you say, Marquis Blumrush. Your foresight would be rewarded, if such was the case."

"Ofcourse."

* * *

_Somewhere in the city of E-Rantel  
Several hours after the Kingdom Army's arrival_

Three days. It had taken them _Three Days_ and still 'The Swords of Darkness' could not get past the horde that had swarmed the governor's mansion. Every day they would try to look for another way but either had to retreat back or continue looking and gathering supplies. Worse, the civilians were starting to panic with being in unfamiliar territory and fading hope. That was when they all heard the voice in the air that had told E-Rantel that help was coming.

Peter was still resting and Lukrut constantly kept guard over the building that they were in. Dyne hadn't spoken to her since he had found out her secret, and since no one sent suspicious glances at her Ninya had to believe he was keeping it to himself. After their last conversation, the next morning he had came and healed her injury without so much as a word and left.

_What is going to happen to us when this is over? If we make it out alive… what then?_ She couldn't say.

Earlier that morning, Lukrut said that he couldn't see any sign of the horde any more and suggested they try to make a break for it later in the day if the the coast was still clear. Over the last few days they had found 3 more people, a family, that were in hiding - bringing their total number back up to 17.

Lukrut had stayed behind with Peter and assured them they would follow when Peter felt strong enough as it was still difficult for him to move much. So, her and Dyne were trying to lead the people to the safety of the mansion. They were currently in an abandoned alleyway scouting the path.

"_Looks_ like it's clear, but I don't have Lukrut's eyes and we can't see around the corners." Dyne whispered to her, the first words they'd spoke in days.

"We have to risk it, if we don't get help soon the civilians are likely to start a panic and there's just the 3 of us that can fight, 2 if I'm out of spells. The help could take days to arrive depending on what path through the city they take. We're sitting ducks out here, we have to do something." Ninya said quietly.

"I agree." whispered Dyne. "Let's-"

"**HELP!**" came a voice further down the alley, across the street at their rear.

They both jerked around to see a man that was not in their group running toward them in fear as he was trailed by several faster skeletons and a few zombies. "**Help me!** **Help!**"

"Damn fool! He's bringing them right to us and worse he yelled out! We're going to be surrounded quickly if anything heard that." Dyne said as he grabbed his mace. "**Come on!**" he shouted at the rest of the civilians of their group. "We need to get moving now! Don't stop until you get to the governor's mansion!"

Ten minutes later they were still running and the horde that had disappeared earlier had resurfaced… only at the worst time. As they approached, their safe exits were cut off as they round a corner and almost got caught by the massive amount of undead that were in the street headed toward them. Despite being in the city this long, they still did not know all the entrances and exits and it only took one wrong turn before they arrived at a dead-ended street.

Dyne had been wounded rescuing one of the townsfolk earlier and he was quickly losing his strength as the group had came across the dead end. He had tried to keep up with her as they ran but he had to rely more and more on her and it was not long before she wasn't able to support his heavy weight and he had fallen. It was all she could do to try to help him get back up as the side of his tunic was soaked in blood, he made it three steps before he fell over again. Ninya looked back up as she heard a sound.

"**Aah!**" One of the villagers had ran to grab his small daughter, who had wondered a bit too far from the group, when she strayed too close to one of the corpses who lunged at the small girl. The man had jumped in front of her to protect her. He pushed her toward her mother, who had a horrified face with tears in her eyes and she grabbed the child to run as all Ninya started to hear was '_m__unch munch munch_' as one by one they were getting cut down.

"**Run!**"  
"**No! Mommy! Get Daddy!**"  
"**Help me!**"  
"**Please, she's just a child! Take her an-!**" _SPLAT._  
"**Ahh! Mommy it hurts, it hu-**" _SPLAT._

The voices were getting fewer and further between. "Ninya, go!" Dyne said as he lay in the street, trying to catch his breath.

"Dyne… I… I can't!" Ninya cried.

"Ninya! You need to live!" he growled.

"Dyne, I won't-" she started.

"**Ninya!**" he said as he took her hand and grasped it with his own blood-covered one. "No matter what, you will always be my _**brother**_ in 'The Swords of Darkness'!" he continued as he looked her. "**Now go!**"

Ninya looked at Dyne with tears in her eyes and noticed something over his shoulder down the street... another horde approaching them.

_No wait _she realised… _that's not a horde, that's…!_ Before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"**[Mass Hold Species: Undead]**"

* * *

_A Noble's Estate somewhere within E-Rantel  
Several hours after the Kingdom Army's arrival_

Crown Prince Barbro sat at the desk of one of E-Rantel's minor nobles, reviewing reports from the army about the progress that was being made in the city. Barbro had decided to break off from the main force and lead his own section of the army through a different path - to claim his own fame in rescuing the citizens. Though it was slow going, other than word of a skeletal dragon's appearance and a few undead in the city that were around the cemetery were unusually powerful - most of the rest of the army was able to deal with mopping up the remaining undead in the city.

_It won't be much longer. After you do all the heavy lifting, Sir Ainz, I will 'find' some evidence that it was you who were truly behind the undead attack and then I will have you stripped of your position and whipped like a good dog and then-_

"Sir. There's an adventurer here to see you. Says he has a gift for you." one of the soldiers stationed outside the room told him, interrupting Barbro's musings.

_A gift? Well… maybe word of my leadership has gotten out after all. I'm tired of reading reports anyway._

"Send him in." Barbro replied.

A moment later, a _huge_ man decked out in expensive-looking black plated armor arrived with a small box that he was carrying held in one hand. Barbro, who did not normally notice such things, noticed the small plate that he wore around his neck to denote his position indicated he was mithril rank.

"Who're you? Barbro asked. _Definitely a noble's son - judging by the armor - but I don't recall any of them had children that were adventurers?_

"Who am I? _Ah, _my young prince, _I am_…" he paused. Barbro couldn't recognize the man's voice, but he seemed unusually passionate.

_Must be because he is in the presence of the future king of Re-Estize._ Barbro reasoned.

"_Pandora_." he said with a hand to his heart. "I thought you might like the opportunity to read some letters from those who admire you, from my...village." he said as he put the box in front of Barbro.

_Letters? Hmm… well, I suppose it's only right to read the people's praises. It's my favorite activity back home, after all._

"Very well." Barbro said amiably. "Are there any ones from any fair maidens?"

"I'm not sure, for I thought it would be disrespectful to open them for you." Pandora replied. Barbro realised he was right. He slowly started opening them and reading the letters… and felt himself in a growing state of confusion. There were 8 letters and they were all unsigned and essentially said the same thing, only the last one was different and signed.

_Thank you.  
_ _Thanks sir!  
_ _Thanks for saving me.  
_ _I will remember your generosity.  
_ _Thanks for taking my place.  
_ _Thanks! But I hope you are enough.  
_ _I see your decision-making is outmatched by your kindness.  
_ _  
_ _Thanks for saving my children. Thanks for being the meal for today. - Kyouhukou of Nazarick_

Barbro felt a feeling of dread rise in his gut at the last line. "... Who did you say your father is? I don't recall a village named Nazarick within the Kingdom…"

"I never said it was from somewhere within the Kingdom… and perhaps it would be better to _show_ you my father." Barbro heard the voice of Pandora say as there was a flash of light.

Barbro looked up at Pandora and almost did a double-take as he thought it was Sir Ainz for a moment… and he wished it was. For he was looking into the bleached white bone of an empty skull of an undead - an enemy of mankind. At the skeletons' throat was a bug. Barbro stood quickly in his chair and turned to shout for the guards, when he saw that it was not the skeleton that was talking, but the bug at its throat.

"**[Mind Control]**."

**A/N:** Next chapter we see the shocking conclusion of events in E-Rantel… ;D

We hit several milestones with the last chapter as well - Yay milestones!  
Almost 11k views, over 100 follows/favorites and almost as many reviews

As always thanks for all the reviews! At the time of this writing that is  
**Deliberatee  
Questioner  
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Morality is a Spook  
Eddie0020**


	10. SoE: Two warriors, Two Wizards

**A/N: **I apologise for this chapter taking so long to get out, it was partly due to things picking up in my life and work, combined with me not being able to do fight scenes well. xD If it makes up for it - this chap is almost twice the length of a normal one. Anyway I will keep this short, enjoy!

* * *

_Inside the City of E-Rantel  
Several hours after the Kingdom Army's arrival_

Not long after the destruction of E-Rantel's gate, the Primal Earth Elemental that Ainz had summoned reached its expiration time and subsequently disappeared back into the earth while Ainz had let several troops pass into the city. During the planning of the attack on the city, Ainz had volunteered use of his **[Fly]** magic to scout out some of the city and found that his instructions to Demiurge were carried out perfectly.

Ainz had instructed Demiurge to ensure the inhabitants did not feel too safe in their defenses, as it was mostly simple skeletons and zombies that were responsible for early attacks by Khajiit and Clementine and therefore easy to deny entrance to reinforced areas of the city. Demiurge in his reports had targeted the Guild Building first as it was the main source of resistance with the summoned lesser undead and a few Death Knights that had been created through Ainz and Pandora since coming to this new world. Since then smaller pockets of resistance had sprung up throughout the city, which suited Ainz's purposes just fine.

Once the several smaller resistances had been established Demiurge had instructed the undead under his command to target the high-level adventurers to keep overall defenses of the city low and ensure evacuation of the city was slow and dangerous and to keep the gathered survivors surrounded until the eventual rescue. A benefit of the situation was the further testing of the orders that the undead were able to understand and comply with. Despite being mostly mindless, zombies and skeletons could not only understand simple 'attack this', 'wait here', 'kill that' instructions but could even carry out more complex orders as well as specified timed instructions to be obeyed later through an activation phrase. One that Ainz was about to test out now.

Ainz along with a small contingent of troops personally assigned to him by King Ramposa III, complete with their own crest of a single magician's stave, were currently fighting their way through the central part of the city that they had been assigned to liberate from the undead. Unfortunately none of his troops seemed to display any knowledge or skill with martial arts and Ainz felt that heavy losses to his personal troops would damage the reputation he was cultivating, so he had taken to leading them from the front of the formation.

"_But sir, we've been instructed to protect you. Please think of your safety, Sir Ainz, and return to the rear..." _one of the troops, a man named Clovis, had told him as they approached a large gathering of undead around the governor's mansion - if the map of the city was to be believed.

"_Young man... if a leader does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"_ Ainz had questioned back to him. _Besides, _Ainz thought. _I need to be close enough for most of the undead to hear me._

"**[Mass Hold Species: Undead]!**" Ainz shouted.

Ainz did not actually _cast_ the spell, but even so, most of the common troops did not know this and only saw the results. The undead within hearing distance all instantly froze all of their movements as they had been instructed to do so as part of the activation phrase that had just been uttered by Ainz, to freeze in place for a specified amount of time. The troops were encouraged by this as they all rushed forward towards the helpless undead and began cutting them down one by one.

When the surrounding undead had been cleared Ainz noticed a few injured surviving adventurers were among the horde. He walked up to a stunned magic caster, a silver ranked adventurer judging by his plate around his neck, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've done well, we'll take over from here." Ainz said as he turned back to call on Clovis, the same soldier from before. "Clovis, see that this man and his companion are treated for their wounds." he said as he continued down the street to the now visible mansion.

"Who was that?" he heard the boy say to Clovis. He walked far enough away that he didn't hear the reply amid the sounds of slaughter as the remaining troops were continuously cutting down the rest of the undead that surrounded the mansion.

It was an hour later that Ainz had finished taking stock of the situation at the mansion. Thousands of residents of the city had taken shelter on the grounds of the estate and for the actual mansion itself, it was convert to a command center for the leadership of the city watch and to Ainz's surprise, the guild-master of the Adventurer's guild, a man named Pluton Ainzach. Ainz himself felt a brief surge of amusement that both of them shared the name of Ainz. Ainz had barely finished the summary of the situation of the Kingdom Army's advance when the colossal roar of a skeletal dragon interrupted their meeting. They both rushed outside to see the carnage that had unfolded.

Several mummified bodies and spots of decayed earth greeted them as Ainz recognized the effects of the disease-ridden breath of a skeletal dragon. _Right on time._ He thought amid the chaos as civilians were running away in panic as the dragon had landed and was killing with swipes of it's great claws, long tail, and noxious breath. Through the use of a **[Fly]** spell he grew close to the beast and quickly summoned the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, invoking one of its abilities as the people fled from the scene.

"**[Summon: Primal Fire Elemental]!**" he said, louder than necessary to gather the attention of the surrounding crowd of people trapped on the estate with the beast. The air grew unbearably hot close to where the elemental was summoned and the surrounding air was heated so quickly it created a wind outward as the molecules expanded. He heard the crowd gasp as the bone dragon's jaws, who's first reaction was to use it's noxious breath on the elemental that appeared as it was instructed, were snapped shut mid-breath as the elemental overpowered the dragon's mouth and clamped it shut and superheated the bone as it _melted_ and _welded_ its mouth shut to keep the creature from using its breath again. The ensuing fight was short-lived for Ainz, though not unimpressive or unexpected since the elemental had at least 70 levels over the dragon, if Satoru remembered correctly.

Having dealt with the dragon, Ainz cut his meeting with the guild-master, Pluton Ainzach, short as he informed him he needed to meet with Gazef, the Chief Warrior as quickly as possible and left the estate through a **[Fly]** spell after instructing the remaining troops to take care of the citizens.

* * *

_Somewhere in E-Rantel  
With Prince Barbro…_

"**Hey, Mister!**"

Crown Prince Barbro of the Re-Estize Kingdom was awoken with a start by two words that came from a child-like voice. As his awareness returned, he glanced around the room he was in and realised it must have been nighttime as the building was very dark and the only light coming into the room was from the moonlight shining through a single window at his back. The smell of raw meat heavily permeated the room and through the little light entering the room, Barbro saw several hanging forms of what he assumed to be some type of skinned animal like a cow or goat strung up to the ceiling. A small figure of a girl in a maid's outfit stood before Barbro in front of a large, thick table that Barbro recognized as a butcher's block.

"My name is Entoma, thanks for waiting while I dealt with the troops who followed you here to this abandoned building." the girl said innocently as she gestured to Barbro's sides and around the room, spinning as she did so.

_Drip. _Something red splattered on Barbro's shoulder. _Drip. Drip._

Barbro looked up and his eyes widened as he was staring into the face of one of his personal soldiers, hanging from the ceiling. The man's eyes were bloodshot as he stared back at Barbro with a panicked '_M__mph!' _as he swayed from the spiderweb that encased his feet and most of his body as well as a large glob of web that encased his mouth.

"Oopsie... one is still conscious. Well… normally I'd deal with him myself but I don't want to get _too_ full with snacks before I get to the main course. I haven't eaten all day… but I guess a bite won't hurt, just to wet the throat, of course." Entoma said conversationally as, to Barbro's horror, shapes on the ceiling started to move toward the helpless soldier as Barbro could hear several sounds of '_squish squish squish_' for a moment before the soldier was dropped from the ceiling and hit the ground with a painful '_crack'_ and '_Mmph!_' from the soldier as he was dragged to the butcher's block by a human-sized spider that dropped down several seconds later.

Barbro tried to take a step back in fear but found that his feet were glued to the floor by the same sticky web that encased the soldier. He tried to pull on his leg with both of his strong arms to no avail as Entoma continued speaking. Barbro found her face peculiar since he laid eyes on her and realised with a start why… she never blinked and her mouth never moved as she 'talked'. Her cute face was frozen in time.

"Did you know?..." Entoma said as she watched the spider eat away at the web covering the side of the soldier as they pulled his arm free of the webbing that encased it. "... My creator was a fan of something called 'horror films' and had a fascination with spiders among other things. My minions created from my 'Spider Talismans' are based on one that was native to his world called a Brown Widow and its paralytic bite is similar in nature."

The soldier's arm was spread away from his body on the table as Entoma stepped up to the edge of the chopping block, looking down at him. His arm twitched every now and then but it seems he did not have enough control over it to actually move the appendage. Barbro saw a quick flash of white from Entoma before a sound echoed in the quiet room that sounded like an arrow hitting a wooden stump.

_Thud._

"**MMMMMPPPPHHHH!**" Barbro heard the soldier muffle out as his arm stopped twitching… and rolled down the table away from his body. Barbro could see the bloody stump, that was where the man's arm was previously attached to his body, drip blood onto the table as though it was cleanly cut, but by what, Barbro could not see as Entoma had not moved an inch. There was only a thin line of white web embedded into the table.

Entoma spread her appendages out in front of her as though in prayer, for Barbro saw with a start that she did not have hands for her arms terminated in a stump not unlike a spider's leg, as she said in a grateful voice, "Itadakimasu! (I gratefully receive!)" before picking up the dismembered arm and placing it under her face.

'_Crunch crunch munch'_ filled the room for several seconds as Barbro saw with growing horror that the arm was disappearing under the face of Entoma as the muffled sound of bones snapping and muscle being ripped apart filled the room before he felt a pain at his thigh that seemed to slowly spread through his body. He looked down to see one of the spiders had bitten him. Scared out of his wits at the display and the growing terror in his heart... the venom flowing through his body quickened with his heart and after some moments, while Entoma was enjoying her meal, he found that he had lost control of the feeling of most of his body and could only stiffly stand with the help of the web encasing his feet.

"I will leave your mouth free... For it is your screams that I was ordered to hear the most." Entoma said as she finally finished and turned towards him. The spider that had bitten Barbro soon freed him from the web that was encasing his feet and he was dragged towards the table not unlike the other soldier, who's body he passed on the way. The man's pale skin and dull-unfocused eyes gave away the fact he was going to die on the floor of this room, possibly like Barbro himself.

"O-ordered? W-Wait… please! I'll give you anything! I'm… I'm rich! I-I can give you whatever you want!" Barbro pleaded to the monster as her underlings spread him out on the table, just like the soldier from before.

"But Mister Barbro… you are already giving me so much!" Entoma said, pleasantly disagreeing. "I rarely get to see such a low-fat meal squirm in such a way." she said as the only door in the room opened before Barbro. He turned and saw a figure in the doorway.

"T-thank god! I-I order you, help me!" he shouted before he realised he did not recognise the form. In the doorway in the darkness stood a humanoid form and as it stepped closer Barbro could see that it was definitely feminine, judging by the bottom of the white dress that trailed along the ground, though not human as she had feathered wings sprouting from her waist.

"Lady Albedo!" Entoma said as she kneeled before the figure.

"Be at ease, Entoma. I'm not here to interfere. I came merely to watch justice as it is rightfully doled out..." Albedo said as she sneered at Barbro. "... Though I am envious that you are the first to be given such an honor. Lord Ainz should not have to come down from his mountain to teach _piss-ants_ their lesson. As his wife, I have to respect this."

_Lord Ainz?! Wife?! ...That damn traitor!… _

"I was just explaining to this human how much he is already helping me." Entoma said as her _face_ scurried up her head and Barbro realised with dread that it was not actually her face but a bug. Entoma's _true_ face eyed him through her many, spider-like eyes as she continued. "For while a woman's meat is tender and juicy because of its fat, and a child's still tastes good because of the freshness of the meat…" she said as Barbro could see a white substance gathering within her deep maw. "...It is the fat-less meat of a muscular man that is most helpful to a woman trying to keep her figure." she finished as Barbro saw a flash of white as something exited her mouth and went straight to his extended arm.

_Thud._

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!**" Barbro screamed in agony as his muscular arm was severed from his body. Though most of his body was still paralyzed, Barbro found out quickly that some of his pain receptors were still working as intended. Entoma grabbed Barbro's dismembered arm and sniffed it from one end to the other before she started to consume it in front of him.

Barbro shut his eyes trying to block out the sounds of his own previous flesh being munched on and deposited into the monster's gullet. The room was silent for some moments before he heard Entoma let out a contented sigh as he was twitching in pain but unable to lose consciousness. "That really hits the spot… but it's just not the same if the prey isn't still wriggling…" Barbro heard the rustling of fabric and a few soft footsteps and Entoma's next words came directly by his ear. "What's that?..." she whispered conversationally. "... you say I can have the other one too, mister?"

Barbro ground his teeth through the pain and tried to move his remaining arm to get up, crawl away, or do anything else but let this monster devour him but to no avail. He felt his arm being moved and something wet and slimey touch his fingers. "**N-NO! NO NO NO, PLEASE! I'LL-**" _CRUNCH. _"**AHHH!**"

A few minutes later, when there was nothing left but a blood stain on the chopping block that was being slowly sucked up by her servants, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta felt a strange urging that must have been programmed by her creator and she complied with the feeling as she put her limbs together once more and said, "Gochiso sama deshita! (It was quite a feast!)".

Manners for maids were important, after all.

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery  
A few hours after the defeat of the Skeletal Dragon_

Gazef had finished clearing out a horde surrounding one of the larger store-houses in the city that had been converted into a stronghold against the undead by the city watch when Ainz had arrived, flying through the sky toward him. He recalled the conversation that led them to the heart of the undead outbreak, the cemetery.

"_Gazef," Ainz said. "I fear the ritual must be almost complete. The negative energy here is more intense than I've ever felt before and a skeletal dragon attacked the governor's mansion. The perpetrators must be using it to buy time to finish the ritual and escape the city while the army deals with the fallout."_

Gazef agreed as the logic was sound. "_But we don't know where they are, Sir Ainz."_

"_I've spoken with the city guard and observed the energy surrounding the city and they seem to converge on one point, the cemetery." Ainz said. "We need to finish this quickly, Chief Warrior. I've used up a lot of my strength and resources getting the gate open and the powers afforded by my mask to deal with the skeletal dragon. We can't afford to wait, we need to strike while the iron is hot."_

After an hour of fighting their way through the city; Gazef, Ainz, and the rest of the army that was lead by Gazef arrived at a massive horde that surrounded the cemetery. Not only was it the familiar forms of zombies and skeletons with a few exploding corpses, there were a few undead ogre-sized knights that Gazef had never seen before. Through considerable effort, Gazef and Ainz had managed to break through the defensive line and enter the cemetery proper while the rest of the troops continued to fight.

"_Gazef, we don't have time. We need to stop this now. The troops can take care of the fodder while we strike at the head."_ Ainz said when Gazef had turned to help out the rest of his forces.

Not long after, Gazef eyed the two forms of the monsters responsible for the near-destruction of E-Rantel in the tombstone-covered clearing. To Gazef's surprise, they were both women. One wore a set of lumpy copper-colored armor over her chest, waist, arms, and one of her shins. Even from the distance Gazef was currently at he could tell the armor was mostly for show and provided little defense against attack, with copper being a very soft metal. _Those are adventurer plates…_ he realised with a start. _Stiletto's as weapons… this girl must be very fast and judging by the plates… some type of assassin. _

The other figure was a remarkable beauty dressed in a plain brown cloak. Her straight pitch-black hair was pulled into a delicate ponytail. Were Gazef in any other situation he would have compared her beauty to Princess Renner herself… however, as it was he could only guess that her beautiful exterior was in complete opposition to her cruel, black, and shrivelled heart if she was responsible for all the death in E-Rantel. She might even be using the stolen lives of the previous townsfolk to keep her beauty… he would make a note to ask Sir Ainz if such a thing was possible.

While striking quickly was his forte, Gazef feared Ainz would not be able to handle such a fast opponent on his own as a magic caster. The state of his body would make it difficult to avoid quick, deadly attacks from weapons from an agile fighter. Sir Ainz apparently had the same thoughts as he said to Gazef, "You take the fighter, I'll handle the other one."

"Yes, I - the necromancer Nabe - shall be your opponent, Lo-...Ainz…Ooal Gown... Sir." said the girl in the cloak, Nabe.

_Such a formal way to give respect to an opponent? … _Gazef thought questioningly.

"Y-you know my name already?" Sir Ainz sounded embarrassed to Gazef. "Ah, y-yes of course, you _must_ have... heard my message throughout the city earlier...? That was mostly for the citizens, but I guess it can't be helped that I also introduced myself to the enemy as well."

The only figure Gazef did not yet know - the copper armor-clad woman, spoke up as she tapped one of her weapons against her shoulder. "-and I know all about you, **Warrior-Captain**. The most famous fighter in the kingdom versus little _Laaady~ Clementiiiine~_? Ahaha-" she said as she dual-wielded her other weapon and licked the blade. "-you're red on the outside with that armor, Mister Stronoff, but I'll pry you open and see if that's true for the _insiiide~_ _as~ weeell~_."

Gazef grew serious as he drew his weapon, Razor Edge, with a grin. "Try it." he goaded. Out of the corner of his eye Gazef saw the woman, Nabe, appeared to want to kick things off with a bang as she extended a lone finger after sticking out her arm towards Ainz.

"**[Lightning]**." she intoned in a bored voice. _Were all magic casters so...stiff?_

Gazef saw the flash of light as the spell impacted on some type of barrier that Ainz had around him as he shot back with a spell of his own. "**[Fireball]**." Nabe was fast, Gazef noted, as she deftly dodged out of the way as the spell impacted into the ground where she had been previously, throwing up dirt and debris. The two threw a few more spells back and forth at either other as Gazef continued to eye Clementine and keep an eye out for stray spells. Gazef noticed after a moment that Ainz was herding Nabe away from the two fighters with his destructive magic. Ainz acted more like a traditional caster with slow deliberate movements while Nabe was much more swift and faster, not unlike the speed of a thief or archer. After a moment the explosions grew further away and it was not long that Gazef could not physically see the two combatants any more through the fog that had recently developed around the area.

_Good luck, Sir Ainz._ Gazef thought as Clementine had apparently waited long enough as she drew inwards on herself into a strange crouched stance Gazef had never seen before.

"**[Martial Art: Possibility Sense]**." Gazef whispered under his breath.

* * *

_Abandoned E-Rantel Cemetery shrine  
2 minutes after separating from Gazef  
With Ainz…_

"Nabe…" Ainz said as he reflexively rubbed at his temple with one hand, _Can I still get headaches?_ He wondered. "I know that I had to resort to _ordering_ you to not be so _formal_ with me while in the city, as I couldn't have you running around calling me 'Lord Ainz' while we were fighting, but…" Ainz said as he tried to formulate his next words.

"...I think somehow you took it completely in the other direction and now are a little _too casual._" he finished.

Narberal Gamma was seated in a beautifully crafted white chair in front of a small cloth-covered tea table. She had just finished pushing a service cart filled with tea and sweets into the room before she had seated herself and asked Ainz if he wanted some. _Nabe, the food will go right through me, literally..._ He had thought in exasperation as Nabe looked up at Ainz in surprise, still holding the tea cup close to her lips.

"But Lord Ainz," she started. "I assure you, Lady Shalltear said that this is how she got to know Princess Renner."

_We already know each other! You don't have to re-write our whole relationship to stop referring to me as your master in public when you're supposed to be undercover! _Ainz wanted to shoot himself as he mentally facepalmed before his emotional override kicked in. _...and she reverts right back to 'Lord Ainz'... Damnit, forget it. This will have to be a discussion for later._ "... About what I just said, never mind. If it helps you to keep your disguise as my 'enemy', I will allow it." he relented, turning to the only other figure in the room.

"Demiurge, are you sure we won't be overheard?" Ainz asked.

"Of course my lord. There are a few undead outside creating the occasional blast and a few Eight-edge Assassins are scattered throughout the area and will warn of anyone approaching." Demiurge replied.

"I see." Ainz said. "What of Khajiit and that boy, Nfirea Bareare? Is he ready for the completion of the ritual?"

"Yes, my lord. I've been assured by Khajiit that the negative energy has reached a sufficient level that the transformation can be attempted. Nfirea Bareare has been physically healed and I look forward to conducting our experiments through him and the _Crown of Wisdom_… though…"

"Yes. Deterioration of his health while in his current vegetable state could be a problem…" Ainz started. "... if he cannot eat, sleep, or rest it will be an issue keeping him alive. Tell me, I read your latest report of the Ring of Sustenance…?"

Demiurge grinned as he saw his master's meaning. "Yes, my lord. Through equipping normal humans with the ring we've found through our live autopsies, with Neuronist's help, that the rings of Sustenance not only eliminate hunger, thirst, and the need for rest but actively fulfills those needs for every cell in the body. This has a side-effect of also greatly reducing the normal speed of ageing as the body does not have to burn the energy to complete these processes." Demiurge said, mirroring his report of his findings earlier.

"Good. Equip the boy with one of the rings and he can help us in not only managing the undead, but also allow us to document the exact rate that aging is slowed by." Ainz ordered. "Also, inform Albedo to collect the Rings of Sustenance from Mare and Aura and ensure they start eating the proper meals for growing children. The rings are currently stunting their growth."

"By your will, Lord Ainz." Demiurge said as he bowed. _To think my findings could immediately benefit Nazarick… Lord Ainz I must be content but to follow you when you are 20 steps ahead of even my, admittedly, dull shine of brilliance by comparison... _Demiurge thought as his metallic tail wagged in reverence.

"Furthermore," Ainz said, interrupting Demiurge's musings, "I've seen the report from Khajiit and Clementine on the catalogue of items that they have knowledge of… specifically, I am most interested in the equipment of this 'Lady Kaire' that he spoke of. As soon as we return to Nazarick, I wish to speak with him."

-  
_Outside E-Rantel Cemetery Shrine  
With Gazef..._

_This woman is fast _was Gazef's first thought as Clementine had lept nearly ten feet from her crouched stance to try to stab at his face, which he blocked one weapon with his sword and knocked the other away with the back of his gauntleted hand.

_clang - clang_

Gazef found out, after he tried to try a fast horizontal slice through the air in front of him, that she was also extremely flexible like a cat as she swiftly turned into a dodge in the form of a reverse flip and nearly kicked the butt of his sword out of his hand on the way back.

_I haven't fought an opponent with this style before but I can't afford to hold back. Sir Ainz has already expended much of his magic and the quicker we end this the sooner more lives will be saved._ Gazef wasn't going to play the normal fighter's game of testing out their opponents. He couldn't afford to.

With the Kingdom's treasures afforded to Gazef by King Ramposa, as the mightiest warrior in the Kingdom, it was extremely unlikely that this woman would be able to match him in combat. Normally an honorable person like Gazef would not use such equipment in a normal fight in order to grow in his own abilities as a warrior - but to protect the people of the King he'd sworn to serve, sometimes things must be done differently. Before the creation of the Slane Theocracy, Re-Estize Kingdom, and the Baharuth Empire: the settlers that would later become the first citizens of Re-Estize brought with them a few treasures that had been collected by humanity up to that point. The Kingdom of Re-Estize at some point decided to, as the saying goes, to 'put all their eggs in one basket' and equip the strongest fighter in the Kingdom with all 5 of the holy treasures.

The two most noticeable ones were the armor and sword Gazef was currently using. Razor's Edge was a magically enchanted sword that was so sharp even after centuries of use it could still cut through armor like butter. The Guardian Armor was a reddish-gold full-plated metal armor set made of folded steel and adamantite - the strongest metal known to man - provided the wearer resistance to death magic and lethal effects there weren't physical.

The other less-flashy items were the Cloak, gauntlets, and Amulet. The Amulet of Immortality, despite its name, did not actually provide immortality but slowly regenerated the body. It could not only heal wounds but prevent prolonged sickness and with time could correct injuries such as broken bones through extended wear. The Gauntlets of Endurance granted endless stamina allowing the user to not physically tire, but they would still become mentally exhausted through prolonged martial art use among other things. Finally the Cloak of Slashing increased the damage of slicing attacks made by the wearer. These five items made up the treasures of the Kingdom.

"**[Martial Art: Mental Enhancement]**. **[Body Strengthening]**." Gazef breathed out.

"Haaah?" Clementine said in a confused voice. "You want to go all out too? Cmooon~ I rarely get to fight more than a few seconds. Don't be in such a rush, thats some hard armor you have there." she said with a wicked grin as she spun and balanced her weapons through her fingers..

Gazef ignored her. "**[Pace of the Wind]**." _If I can match my speed with hers I can overpower her quickly… I usually specialize against large groups with my __**[Fourfold]**_ _and __**[Sixfold]**_ _slashes of light, but I can't use those against a single opponent. Stiletto's can block well but I don't think even with __**[Fortress]**_ _she could withstand one of my blows._

Clementine seemed pissed at being ignored. "**Grr…** Fine. Have it your way." she said as she crouched again. "**[Pace of the Wind]**. **[Ability Boost]**. **[Greater Ability Boost]**! **[Greater Evasion]**!"

_Because of my gauntlets_ Gazef thought, _she will lose a fight that relies on martial arts… does she plan on dodging everything? _He didn't wait for her to charge at him again this time, if she spent her energy on dodging then she couldn't attack. "**[Martial Art: Full throttle]!**" Gazef cried as his speed and strength increase tremendously through **[Pace of the Wind]** and **[Full Throttle]** and he closed the distance on her faster than she had before. She dodged his first blow as she tried to dance around him. Just what Gazef was waiting for as he cried "**[Instant Counter]!**" as his body forcibly regained it's balance as he immediately shifted his swing back towards her _she can't dodge this attack!_ He was right.

Her eyes widened in a crazed way, "**[Invulnerable Fortress]!**" he heard her whisper as she blocked his two-handed attack with _one_ stiletto and brought her other one quicker than he had ever seen towards an opening in his armor plates under his arm.

He had just enough time to shout "**[Instant Reflex]!**" as he recovered enough to shift his body just enough that her attack bounced off the side of his armor with a _clang_ as he quickly shifted his weight to one foot and lashed out with a powerful kick, a move he planned on teaching Princess Renner's bodyguard, Climb. He felt it connect against her unprotected stomach with an "-**Urk!**" as she skidded backwards several feet and spit out blood. Gazef wouldn't make the same mistake attacking with overwhelming force again. Not if she could block it with one hand, no he would use his whole body against his opponent. Their surroundings were filled with the displacement of air, dirt, and one sound soon after that.

_Clang - clang… clang - clang_

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery Entrance  
With Ninya…_

Ninya and the rest of the 'Swords of Darkness', after hours of navigating through the city and running into a guard that said that both the Head Warrior and Chief Wizard had came this way, finally arrived near the cemetery where the army was stationed… the and battle didn't look great. Even from their position on the hill they saw several troops being cut through by a few more of the Ogre-sized undead that were guarding the entrance of the cemetery. They had watched the situation for a moment before Lukrut, who was the least out of breath, suddenly said, "That way looks pretty bad and I don't see Sir Stronoff down there either. His armor is too flashy to miss, he must already be inside. I know an alternate way into the cemetery… it's in the cellar of the a building on the west side."

"Lukrut, I would ask how you would know of such a thing but it's probably something to do with a girl, so I'm not going to." Peter finally been fully healed from the potion he had taken earlier in the day and seemed to be in good spirits in Ninya's opinion, judging how he had recovered his humor as well. "Alright, I don't fancy fighting our way through that, so let's try this other entrance of yours." Several minutes and one broken window later, as they couldn't initially open the door that was barred, Lukrut led them into an eerily silent and empty tunnel of a cellar as they navigated it with a torch. Several more minutes of walking through the dark passageway they arrived at a solid wooden door. Lukrut, after listening for a moment, opened it and the group was greeted with the inside of one of the storage rooms in an abandoned shrine in the cemetery.

After quickly searching the building they found nothing out of place but in one corner of a room near the exit of the building Lukrut stopped so suddenly Ninya almost bumped into him. "...what is it?" she asked. The ranger crouched and eyed the ground for a moment.

"Someone has been here recently… it's very faint though." Lukrut said. "... let's just continue, I don't like being in places like this. I feel like the shadows have eyes." They exited soon after. They were greeted with a loud blast of a sound as they set foot outside.

_BOOOM! BOOOM! CRAAAACK!  
_ _  
_ Ninya's eyes widened. _Was that an __**[Explosion]**_ _spell and __**[Lightning]**__?_

Dyne's grim face seemed to echo her thoughts. "I'm not going near that." he said pointing in the direction of the sound.

Lukrut looked around for a moment. "If the infestation broke out around the cemetery, we should start with checking the main cemetery shrine, it's the largest. We might find a clue... It should be this way." he whispered to the group as he took point, leading the way with his bow. It was a minute or two of walking before they grew close enough to the building to hear a sound they all knew.

_Clash… Clash… _The sound of metal striking together. The sound of battle. They cautiously crept closer before finally they saw flashes of gold and copper along with two figures dancing around each other. They quickly realized one of the figures was Gazef judging by the color, _which means his opponent-_Ninya didn't get to finish that thought as the ground around the group broke apart and Ninya screamed out reflexively as she felt something grab at her leg and smacked the rising zombie with the head of her staff - one of the few monsters she could effectively bludgeon to death with it.

The 'Swords of Darkness' were able to quickly kill the initial wave that appeared around them and though they were easy to take in numbers, it would be much harder if they were surrounded. "We need to stick together and keep moving, we-" Peter was cut off as he looked at Ninya. "**Ninya, watch out!**"

"**Damnit, **_**I'm**_ **your opponent!**" Ninya heard a distant voice yell as she turned around just fast enough to get stabbed into the shoulder with a piercing weapon.

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery  
With Clementine…_

She couldn't help it. _This is just too good! _She started laughing as she activated the **[Mind Control]** spell she had stored into her weapon she had just stabbed into the silver-plate she had spotted first.

"**-aha ha aha ha!**" she giggled to herself. _Gazef will you kill this person to get to me? Ahaha No matter the answer, I WANT TO SEE!_ She thought as she whirled herself back to face Gazef, putting the adventurer in front of her. "Heal me." she whispered into the silver-plate's ear as she pulled out another stiletto from a sheath at her back.

"I can't. I don't have a healing spell." her mind-controlled drone replied back in a monotone.

_Even better! … though I guess I should drink that blood colored potion now._ _That elder lich's information about Gazef was right on the mark._ She quickly gulped down the clear glass bottle as the other adventurer's were dealing with the undead ambush she had meant to lead Gazef into - and discovered to her dismay the red liquid tasted nothing like blood… more like dirt and grass. _Yuck!_ She thought as her weariness and bruised muscles and small cuts from Gazef's sword - several close-calls - were closed and her mental fatigue washed away as well. She suddenly felt like she had woken up after a long night's murder session… refreshed.

_Ooooh… I wonder if I can have some more of those to extend my __**playtime**__. heheh- "-_Eheheh. Oh Gazef, meet my new _friiiend~_. I'm sorry, I don't know his name though. It was kind of sudden~." she said as Gazef stopped not far from her. "-_That's _far enough. **Any closer and they start to die.**" she ground out. _What will you do, Gazef?_

Gazef stopped. _He looks like he just swallowed a bug! Ahahaha-_ "If you slay even one of them, you'll be dead before they hit the ground." he promised.

_Ahahahaha! B- _"-But Gazef, dear, I never said _I _would be the one doing the killing." she said. She leaned into the ear of the silver-plate in front of her. "Attack one of the other adventurer's with one of your spells." she said in giggling voice.

The adventurer slowly turned and raised their staff into the air. "**[Magic Arrow]**." they droned. Clementine was startled as the spell raced forward between the undead and struck their archer in the back with a "Gah!".

_That spell never misses! Since it's not a lethal spell and non-corporeal… his armor won't affect it. Since I'm a fighter I haven't given away that I have spells stored in my weapon till just now… I have to strike at him before he realises I might have more and has some defense against it._

"Fire as many **[Magic Arrow]**'s as quickly as you can at that man." Clementine whispered as she pointed at Gazef's stoney-face.

"You damn monster! **This ends here! [Full Throttle]! [Flow Acceleration]!**" Gazef cried as he dashed towards her at tremendous speed preparing to swing as she dashed forward as well.

"**[Flow Acceleration]!**" she mirrored as she moved to get inside his guard.

"**[Magic Arrow]**." she heard her drone behind her as a magically-launched arrow flew over her head and impacted against the free arm of Gazef, pushing it out of position.

_Yes!_ "**[Invulnerable Fortress]!**" she cried with glee as her stiletto impacted against Razor's Edge and held it there for the moment.

"**[Instant Reflex]!**" Gazef yelled as he brought his injured arm out to bash her face, just as she was bringing her other arm around to stab at the joint of his armor at his sword arm. She twisted back and to the side to dodge his blow with the help of **[Greater Evasion]**.

_YOU'VE BEEN TOO SLOW THIS WHOLE FIGHT, GAZEF!_ she thought with glee as she brought her stiletto into the small gap of his armor and finally landed a solid hit on him as her weapon's blade became slick with blood as she activated the stored **[Lightning]** spell within it. "You won't beat _Windstride~_ Clementine~!"

"**Aahh! E-[Enhanced Magic Re-] **Gazef struggled to get out as his muscles uncontrollably locked up due to the electric current running through his body and armor.

Clementine flipped her now free weapon she had used to block Razor's Edge, the one stored with an **[Fireball]** spell, into a reverse grip and moved to stab it towards his neck, laughing the whole time. "**ahaHAHA! **Bye Gazeeef~!"

"**[Wave of Force]!**" came a voice from the sky as Clementine looked up just in time for her to see a visible wave of power slam into her and knock her painfully against the ground with a "-**ACK**!" as the air in her lungs was painfully forced out of her at her collision with the ground and her body uncontrollably bounced and skidded several feet away from Gazef. She didn't have to look at her arm, which she had landed wrong on, to know that it was most likely broken judging from the intense pain coming from her forearm. She glared up at the flying masked form of the undead Elder Lich, Ainz.

"...**YOU-!**" she started but paused when something clicked in her mind. _He interfered… ahaha… he interfered… ahaHAHAHA HE __**INTERFERED!**_

_**It's not a duel any more!**_

* * *

_With Gazef…_

_Damnit, that was close._ Gazef thought as he brought his body back under control. "You finished off the necromancer? … But the undead are still active?" Gazef asked Ainz once he had floated closer to the ground through his **[Fly]** magic.

"No." came the reply. "She fled. I feared she might try to backtrack to your fight." Ainz said before his head jerked in the direction of the silver-plated adventurer's that were finishing off the few undead near them. "It looks like I was not wrong." he said as the Necromancer Nabe appeared from thin air near the injured Clementine, who was weakly laughing, and picked her up.

"Get up maggot, we're not done yet." she said to Clementine. "**[Fly]**." Nabe said as she slowly lifted off the ground and began to float over the adventurer's that were still dealing with the few remaining undead gathered around the cemetery shrine entrance.

"Don't let her get-" Gazef said as he began to run at the cemetery shrine before he heard the still mind-controlled silver plate.

"**[Magic Arrow]**." the silver-plated adventurer said as once again they cast another spell at Gazef who was growing frustrated at the delay. The spells weren't lethal, but it didn't make them hurt any less. Gazef cursed under his breath as he re-directed himself towards the adventurer as he felt the spell tear into his arm through his armor. They weren't able to fire off another spell before he was upon them, knocking the staff out of the adventurer's hand. Gazef noticed they were under some type of spell by the purple rim around their eyes. Seeing that crazy woman's weapon was still sticking out of the poor kid and Gazef had first-hand experience of the spells stored in her weapons, he wrenched the stiletto out of the poor souls shoulder and immediately their eyes re-focused from their previous glazed look.

"Lukrut!" the adventurer said as they turned back to one of their companion's who was being tended to on the ground now that the undead in the immediate area were finally dealt with. Gazef gave them all a glance and saw that most of the party were alright, before nodding to Ainz as they both continued on, Gazef traversing the ground with Ainz hovering nearby into the entrance of the Cemetery Shrine. As Gazef had expected, there were several undead within the shrine itself and with the narrow corridor it was slow going as they had to be dealt with one by one with a careful swing of Gazef's sword. It took nearly a minute to get through the small hallway that opened up into the slightly larger central chamber.

The room was filled with more undead and Gazef could see at the other end of the room was Clementine unconscious against one of the stone pillars and Nabe kneeled before a floating purple stone upon a raised dais. The stone glowed with an eerie light not dissimilar to the item Sir Ainz possessed that he said would clear the surrounding area of corruption. It was Sir Ainz that spoke up next.

"We're too late. She has started the transformation already. I'll buy you some time to get closer, but we have to interrupt her now. With this much negative energy she might become something more than an Elder Lich, if that happens we'll be in real trouble." Sir Ainz said to him as he flew over Gazef's head and started throwing spells at the the other caster from the air as Gazef tried to cleave through the undead on the ground. The room was once again filled with the sounds of battle.

"**[Six-fold Slash of Light]!**"

"**[Lightning]!**"

"**[Wall of Skeleton].**"

It took three consecutive uses of **[Sixfold Slash of Light]** for Gazef to break through the necrotic encirclement that surrounded him. He made a mad dash toward Ainz and Nabe.

"**[Explosion]!**" Ainz shouted. Instinct had taken over Nabe as she moved to try to dodge the attack like she usually did, but with the small enclosed space there was nowhere to run. She realised this a little too late, it seemed.

"**[Shield Barrier]!**... Ah, nooo!" she cried as she magically protected herself and reached out a hand to try to grab at the stone, she didn't make it before the explosion went off and Gazef saw that it was nearly centered on the glowing stone. The area around the dais erupted into fire and wind for a moment before Gazef heard the sound of a piece of glass breaking as the stone shattered before the entire room was engulfed in a visible wave of negative energy so thick the whole room appeared black just before Gazef himself was blown off his feet and slammed into the wall with a painful '_crack_'.

Further away Gazef heard a distant '_clack clack clack_' of something wooden hitting the stone floor.

It took him a moment to gather his wits and steady vision before he heard footsteps coming from down the hallway, Gazef looked over to see the adventurer group from before entering the room and they all saw Gazef as he was struggling to his feet. They soon saw Gazef and moved to help him and Sir Ainz, who was laying on the floor on the other side of the room across from Gazef.

The silver-plated archer that was previously injured, Lukrut was his name if Gazef recalled, came to check up on Gazef with a, "Are you alright?" Gazef nodded an affirmative before looking around the room for Nabe and Clementine, but they had both appeared to have vanished. Gazef only saw the bodies of several of the undead unmoving spread about the room before he heard a soft gasp in the direction of the rest of the group that was checking on Sir Ainz.

Gazef moved closer to Sir Ainz, who was still unmoving on the ground. Gazef then noticed an object on the ground not far from Ainz. It was the man's mask.

_Ah, the nobles had a similar reaction when they saw Sir Ainz's face._ That did not appear to be the reason this time... when Gazef reached the group they all looked away from him and Gazef saw why.

For it was not Sir Ainz's scarred face that Gazef was expecting… but the bleached-white bone of a skull that all men carried under their skin. Gazef froze in shock for a moment before he kneeled before the body of Ainz, praying for the easy passing of a fallen comrade into death's embrace.

_He was closest out of everyone near the blast… an explosion of negative energy like that is lethal to the living but to see the effects myself… Your death won't be in vain, Sir Ainz. The King will know of your dedication to the people of the Kingdom as a hero._

Gazef had just finished his silent prayer before before he heard the rustling of fabric and a soft "Uggghhh". Gazef stiffened. That sound did not come from any of the adventurer's or Gazef himself, it was the familiar deep tone of Ainz Ooal Gown.

_No… God's above…_

Gazef quickly placed his hand back on his sword, which he had sheathed, as Sir Ainz's body began to move and his empty eye sockets filled with red pinpoints of light. Most of the other adventurer's stiffened in alarm and all took a conscious step back as they readied their weapons.

… _Don't make me do this… not to a man like you, Sir Ainz. Damnit. Fates like this should not befall upon good men._

Gazef drew Razor's Edge and the sound of it filled the silent room before a deep hesitant voice filled the room.

"... Gazef? … what are you doing?"

**A/N:** I know! Cliffhanger! I'm sorry! _ There won't be many though.  
With the story passing 40k words (personally I never read anything less than 40k words on FF) my updates will be much slower as honestly updating every day or other day is not going to be sustainable for me with everything else I have going on. If it's a chapter I _really_ want to show (read: lemons and such) I will get it to you guys faster but updates will now be a couple of weeks apart. Not what folks want to hear, me included, but I don't want to burn myself out writing.

Massive amount of reviews to thank for last chapter, as it was out for a little over 2 weeks. At the time of this writing those were:  
**Questioner  
Orthankg1  
Wayne Walker  
Toitlettk  
Bad Mr.7  
TheB  
Actor of Pandora  
Vulcunniko  
SirGLOCKsalot  
PervySageChuck  
RyuujiVantek  
Mike202303  
0November0  
AlernateReality  
John Seps T-Ard  
Grothnor  
Pwashington  
Dustfan  
Eddie0020  
Hakkero  
400415  
Awareness Bringer  
Mop  
Morality is a Spook  
Doomqwer (Ao3)  
TheExiledOne (Ao3)  
Freyjaudur (Ao3)  
EricTheRed4444 (Ao3)  
StevenBills345 (Ao3)  
Dustin Thomas (Ao3)**


	11. The Forgotten Race

E-Rantel_ Cemetery  
With Demiurge..._

"_Demiurge," Ainz said. "I have one final task for you to accomplish here. I will be sending a…" Ainz paused, wondering for the up-teenth time if it was really a good idea to introduce the person in question to any more of his subordinates than was __**absolutely necessary**__, but in this situation it couldn't be helped so he continued. "... certain individual to watch over the unfolding situation. They have their own tasks and you are to assist them with anything they should require."_

_ Demiurge bowed his head. "I understand perfectly, Lord Ainz."_

Demiurge was broken out of his recollection of his orders from Lord Ainz by a sudden guttural scream coming from a room nearby.

"_**UURRGGGGGGGAAAAAAAA**_**-**" the grating sound was swiftly cut off as a soft 'click' of a door closing was heard and the soft rustle of fabric was the only indication that another being had entered the room. Demiurge looked over his shoulder at the kneeled form of Entoma Vassilisa Zeta.

"How's our friend doing?" Demiurge questioned.

Entoma seemed quite content in her reply as she giggled. "It seems the process is more painful than previously thought, but it's coming along nicely. It's really quite mesmerizing... the skin, muscles, organs, and tendons all slowly peeling away…" Demiurge listened to her detailed descriptions and knew she was in a particularly good mood, assuming it had come from the successful completion of her mission assigned by Lord Ainz himself. Truly, Demiurge himself would drift into a similar state from time to time at being gifted the honor of his various assignments. He was a being created to serve, after all. The greater the work, the more feverish he grew to complete it.

His current situation had the added benefit of further exploring the capabilities of Nazarick's less-used assets such as the Pleiades Battle Maids. Even as the Commander of the NPC defenses of Nazarick, he himself had little to say of the Pleiades. Despite being creations of the great Supreme Ones, they were untried... untested. To his knowledge they had never before seen combat… that any among them would be competent enough to a satisfactory level to protect his Lord, Demiurge thought, would be a dubious prospect at best. Their skills in cleaning no doubt would be beyond reproach but wisdom and experience were the best teachers for battle.

Or rather, that was Demiurge's opinion before today. Demiurge intended only for Naberal's ability and loyalty to be tested at first, but his plan must have been obvious to a being as great as Lord Ainz, for he had apparently seen through Demiurge's true motives and also given him the assistance of Entoma. To be out-maneuvered in such a way for Lord Ainz to not only silently see through Demiurge but also agree and further his goals left Demiurge feeling he was not as all-seeing as he thought himself. In the end, Entoma and Narberal had so far performed well within Demiurge's expectations which did much to ease his doubt of the Pleiades forces overall.

Some time later, Demiurge didn't so much as twitch when Narberal Gamma entered the room with the unconscious form of Clementine thrown over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was consequently dropped onto the floor with equal parts care and grace as such as well, before the black-haired beauty kneeled next to her fellow Pleiades, awaiting further orders. Demiurge said nothing, continuing his observations through the Mirror of Remote Viewing. There was nothing further to report - for all had gone according to plan.

Narberal frowned, seemingly frustrated. "... Am I not to be punished, Lord Demiurge?" she finally asked after some time, emotionlessly.

Demiurge did not look away from the mirror. "Ultimately that would be for Lord Ainz to decide, but I'm unsure as to what you are referring to...?" he goaded in a questioning tone.

"The Orb of Death was destroyed. The aphid was almost killed under my supervision." she curtly replied.

Demiurge looked over his shoulder at the form of the unconscious psychopath. Frankly, aside from the benefits of studying her shattered psyche and information she provided on key individuals within The Slane Theocracy, Demiurge saw little use the woman could provide to Nazarick on the whole. Khajiit, Demiurge could understand as Lord Ainz was as thorough as Demiurge himself when it came to wanting to understand the nature of things around him, particularly in the field of magic. After all, one did not become the leader of the Supreme Beings... a group of such unimaginable power each one able to transcend worlds and create life from nothing... by being a fool. Lord Ainz saw something in her and even with Demiurge's exceptional deductive skills it might very well be _months_ before he saw it as well.

Demiurge fiddled with the bridge of his glasses and briefly looked at Naberal before returning his gaze to the Mirror. "The 'Orb of Death' was not destroyed. In fact, it is currently facilitating the process of transforming Khajiit into an undead. Yours was a copy. A decoy." he explained. He let it sink in for a moment before continuing. "There is a special ore within the vaults of Nazarick that is able to store magical energy to produce a glow not dissimilar to the Orb of Death's. Cut and polished a certain way, it can look nearly identical."

Demiurge turned to face Narberal to gauge her reaction as he spoke. "Lord Ainz has taken a special interest in the Orb as it is an item unique to this world. He would not be so careless as to let it be destroyed. Though I would argue that the Magicite _could_ be considered a treasure of Nazarick as there is the possibility it doesn't normally exist in this world, Lord Ainz made it clear that the loss of such a resource, in such a small amount, was acceptable."

"As for Clementine's state… how shall I put this?" Demiurge looked up in thought, stroking his chin. "Think of it like training a dog or hound. If it does good things it is rewarded for good behavior; sitting when commanded to sit, attacking intruders, that sort of thing." Demiurge then held up a lone finger. "However, if it gets out-of-line or otherwise does things it is _not _supposed to do; defecating on the floor of your home, destroying your furniture, being noisy at all hours of the night… those behaviors must be _punished_!" Demiurge said and he curled his hand into a fist and his metallic tail slapped against the ground angrily as he turned to look at Clementine.

"Though commanded simply to beat Gazef, she instead went above Lord Ainz's orders and went straight for the kill even though it was _Nazarick_ that made her victory _possible_! Personally, I would have had her flayed alive for such disrespect." Demiurge said as he straightened at his suit, calming down. "However, Lord Ainz seems to have a unique opinion of humans… In any case, Narberal Gamma, you've performed exactly as anticipated." Demiurge didn't have to say it out loud, but judging by the way Narberal sighed with a bit of relief, he knew she understood. She had done well.

_Lord Ainz, for reasons unknown, decided to stay with Nazarick when all the other Supreme Ones left. Its possible that the slightest failure could make him rethink his decision. Failure is not an option._ Demiurge thought.

A series of knocks came from one of the nearby doors, alerting the room to a new arrival.

"Enter." Demiurge said.

Heavy footsteps filled the room for a moment as Demiurge allowed himself a glance at the new arrival and was surprised. "I imagine it is you who is assisting Lord Ainz…?" he asked rhetorically as he busied himself re-apply the anti-scrying and detection scrolls that had been set aside for this operation.

_'Wearing Lord Ainz's armor… that serves the dual purpose of validating his authenticity as well as masking the identity of the wearer. Interesting. There are very few within Nazarick that could blend in with humans in the long term. Out of those that could, none could physically match this description. On top of this, as leader of Nazarick's Defense I have information on nearly all of Nazarick's skill-sets and yet I do not know of this creature... which means it is either; an off-the-record personal creation of one of the Supreme Beings such as Albedo's Sisters… or some type of Assassin or Subterfuge specialist to weed out traitors.'_ Demiurge thought.

"Indeed I am! My name is..." the large figure said with a dramatic flourish of his cape, which billowed as though there were a breeze within the room. Demiurge was fairly sure, being underground, that there was not. "Pandora's Actor. It is the name given to me by my creator, the _SUPREMIST _of the Supreme Beings!" Pandora said as he stared off into the distance, imagining the praises of his father at his own awesome introduction…to everyone else he was staring towards an unfurnished stone wall.

At that time he also seemed to notice Naberal and Entoma. "But, I shall also allow these lovely flowers to call me 'Crusader', as I am known within the human world." he said as he bowed.

"Then… you're Lord _Ainz's-_?!" Demiurge had long ago worked out the various positions the creations of the Supreme Beings held based on his knowledge of the NPC defenses of Nazarick, and had quickly theorized that the most vital area of Nazarick, the treasury, was surely guarded by the most trustworthy, the most elite creature within Nazarick - a perfect creation of the greatest of the Supreme Ones.

'_No wonder Albedo was so tight-lipped about temporarily watching over the treasury… if I had known I would've… bah, no matter.' _Demiurge silently cursed his lack of foresight, then saw something within the Mirror of Remote Viewing which greatly troubled him. He scowled as the entire room saw it too. _'These dogs choose poorly indeed, raising their weapons against Lord Ainz.'_

"Entoma, Narberal, prepare to protect Lord Ainz. Eliminate all threats." Demiurge commanded. Entoma and Narberal nodded grimly… well, Narberal nodded grimly. Entoma, due to her emotionless mask, simply nodded.

"You will belay that order." Pandora's Actor said.

Demiurge turned to glare at Pandora, only the words of Lord Ainz himself in his mind helping to keep his composure. Lord Ainz had foreseen this situation. However, that didn't stop him from voicing his complaints. "Weak though they are, they are raising weapons against our Lord! It is-!"

"Unforgivable, yes." Pandora said, doing little to calm Demiurge. "However, if Lord Ainz was truly in danger, I would be among the first to rush to his side. However, there are two reasons why you will not." he said as he held up two fingers. "Firstly: I possess the skills necessary to turn this situation into Nazarick's benefit. No one in that room is to be touched." he said.

Demiurge frowned. "And the second?"

Pandora flourished the other side of his cape and threw a clenched fist out dramatically as he spoke. "Weil ich einen Schatz von _Nazarick_ besitze, einen Gegenstand von so immenser Macht, dass er die Welt, in der wir leben, verandern wurde, sollte er verwendet werden!" However, as there was no one within the room that actually _understood_ German as another language, the translation magic that was native to the New World activated and translated what Pandora meant, which was "Because I possess a treasure of _Nazarick_, an item of such immense power it could change the very world we live in if it were unleashed!"

* * *

_E-Rantel Cemetery  
With Ainz..._

_Alright… everything has gone rather well so far. _Ainz thought as he mentally gave himself a congratulatory pat on the back. He still lay on the ground after getting 'knocked off his feet' from the nearby blast. He mentally went back over his more recent objectives in E-Rantel and within the Kingdom itself.

_Use my newfound power within the kingdom to gain some fame, resources, and connections by salvaging the situation in E-Rantel while slowly revealing some of my knowledge of magic and spreading my name far and wide in case other members of the guild got transported here as well. Meanwhile Shalltear is gathering support within the Kingdom to stabilize my position in the hierarchy among the corrupt nobles and my success here should muffle any outright vocal opposition to me. The only thing now left to finish up is the part I'm most unsure of. _

As expected, Gazef drew his blade in preparation to add to the number of _dead_ undead that currently took up most of the floor space within the underground chamber that they were in. Ainz hoped he had practiced enough acting with Pandora's Actor the last few days to play a convincing part.

'_Even if Pandora is a bit of a doofus, his thoughts on how the stress of a situation might affect a person's attitude and personality were quite enlightening. I suppose I could have asked Neuronist as well but… she really creeps me out.' _he thought lamely. "...Gazef?… What are you doing?" he asked.

Gazef froze in an instant, as did the other adventurers. The adventurers quickly recovered and spread out in a practiced move to surround the undead caster, though Ainz' keen eyes detected that the weaker members, that of the still injured marksman and the young caster, stayed protected and close to Gazef. After a moment with his brows furrowed and Razor's Edge still gripped in his fists, Gazef spoke bewilderedly, "...Sir Ainz?"

"Yes?... What?" Ainz asked in his usual tone. He feigned ignorance as he looked back at all of them. Nothing happened after a moment so Ainz continued. "... Why are you all looking at me like that? Do I have something on my-?" he reached up to feel at his face noticing that everyone in the room kept watch over his movements like a snake ready to strike at the slightest hostile movement. He felt for a moment before looking around for his lost mask and spotted it on the ground not far from himself. "...-ahh. I see." Ainz said as if it all made sense. He turned back towards Gazef. "The adventurers I understand, but you Gazef? You know staring makes me uncomfortable, given my history." Ainz chided Gazef.

"Uhh... " Gazef said.

Ainz turned to the adventurers, "You see, as a young man, I-"

"That's _not_ what they're staring at, Sir Ainz..." Gazef finally said incredulously. "...or at least, not the way you mean it!" he continued.

"Do you feel like yourself? … Do you, perhaps, have a strong _hate_for the living?" the large adventurer asked.

'_A cleric or druid… possibly barbarian?'_ Ainz guessed, eyeing the mace, shield, and leather armor. "Well…" he started. "...I don't feel the pain I normally feel, although maybe that's the adrenaline still running through my system-"

_'...What system?' _They all silently thought, unbeknownst to Ainz. '_You're a skeleton.'_

"-but a hate for the living? Definitely not." Ainz said. "What's this all about?"

"Mr. Gown, maybe it would make things clear if you took off your gauntlets for us?" another adventurer said.

Ainz eyed the adventurer for a moment. "If it would ease your mind, then I will." he said as he removed Jarngreipr, the strength-enhancing iron gauntlets he commonly carried with him, which exposed his skeletal hands that remained underneath.

"...What is _this?_" he said with rising tension in his voice as he slowly moved the appendages. Ainz made a show of pulling on the sleeves of his robe to expose his forearm, or at least the visible bones within it; the ulna and radius. "I need a mirror. Do any of you-" Ainz said as he looked around, slowly slipping into a state of panic as his movements became more quick and jagged. "-_your shield!_ May I see it?"

The large adventurer eyed the rest of his party and stepped forward enough to lend Sir Ainz the light metal shield he had been using. Though slightly dented from prolonged use, it sometimes served the same purpose to Dyne Woodwonder. "You may wish you hadn't." the large man conceded.

Sir Ainz eyed his reflection and slowly fell back to his knees. "I'm a monster." he admitted as the shield clattered to the floor. Ainz visibly took several deep breaths. "... _the ritual!_ Something must have happened. They are dangerous… the slightest change or interruption could have unforeseen consequence..." Ainz mumbled as he further inspected himself.

Gazef looked grim. "I'm afraid I can't take that chance, Sir Ainz. If what you say is true, you could still be transforming as we speak. You might have your wits about you now but that could change as drastically as your body has. You should end your own life while you still have the chance."

Ainz looked up at Gazef and saw another form had suddenly appeared behind the man without a sound. It was the black suit of armor he had made to avoid suspicion within Nazarick, something he allowed Pandora's Actor to use for his disguise in the outside world. Judging by how no one else in the room seemed to notice, Ainz knew Pandora's Actor had likely used **[Perfect Unknowable]** to hide his presence. Ainz himself was only able to see Pandora's Actor through the use of one of his racial traits to see through all forms of invisibility and illusion spells, of which included **[Perfect Unknowable]**.

With the appearance of Pandora's Actor, Ainz knew that the opportunity to convince Gazef not to kill him was winding down. The man had not sheathed his weapon and seemed to grow more determined with each moment that passed. Ainz needed to pull the rug out from under him and quickly.

"Are you certain?" Ainz said as he removed some of his Divine-class gear from his upper body, exposing a skin tight undershirt that he wore underneath. "If I were truly an undead, then shouldn't this be hanging off of my bones instead of clinging to a form that should not exist without muscle? No, I am not an undead… it appears I am something fundamentally different." Ainz felt encouraged as he had Gazef's attention.

Gazef saw Sir Ainz spoke the truth, for despite being a magical caster and not having the pure muscle and definition that Gazef himself had, Sir Ainz was not the literal pile of bones that the Head Warrior was expecting. "You said yourself we have no way of knowing the effects of such a failed ritual, Sir Ainz. It could simply take more time to finish." Gazef said apologetically.

"In my travels," Ainz said ignoring him. "I'd heard of another race that was eerily similar in appearance to undead, but they were _far_ different. Among a few minor differences among individuals, they all shared a unique trait." Ainz said as he ran a hand along his own arm, giving off a soft black smoke that drifted lazily in the air for a moment. "Everything in their actual bodies is completely invisible except by touch, only their skeletal structure remains to the naked eye."

Gazef frowned. "I've never heard of such a race."

"You wouldn't have. They came from the far north, beyond even the lands of the Argland Council State. They were called… the… err…Alain-... Alainbrim." Ainz said, hurriedly skipping over the foreign word. "But among some other races they were known simply as _Ancient Ones_." Ainz said, certain it was vague enough to not arouse too much suspicion.

The Slane Theocracy and to a lesser extent, both the Baharuth Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom as well as the Holy Kingdom to the south had little knowledge of the world outside their borders, being primarily human nations. The further you travelled from these four nations the more humans were viewed as slaves and livestock to others, which explained this lack of worldly knowledge.

"Umm…" one of the adventurers said from beside Gazef. "...err, sorry to interrupt. I'm Ninya... but I may have a solution that might satisfy everyone involved…?" the silverplate continued, sounding unsure.

"If it will put an end to this madness, I for one would like to hear it." Ainz said. Gazef hummed in response.

Ninya pulled what looked to be a scroll from her satchel. "I have here a 3rd-tier 'Scroll of Turn Undead'. If what you are suggesting is true, Sir Gown, and that you are not a true undead and are instead something else; then the spell would have no effect." Ninya said.

"_But_, if what Mr. Stronoff believes to be true is correct, the spell may repel or even exorcise you outright. It would give you an answer you both seek."

'_And possibly create new questions.'_ Gazef privately thought. "Despite what you may believe, Sir Ainz, I do not wish to raise my sword against you needlessly. I have no complaints if we try it this way."

Ainz's eyes drifted over to where Pandora's Actor was waiting to strike. _'That's all well and good, but if Pandora considers this an attack on me, he will take action. I should phrase my words carefully here.'_ "If it will convince you, _I will allow you _to use the scroll_._ I have nothing to hide." Ainz agreed.

With a nod to both of them, Ninya unfurled the scroll and activated it. A soft golden light lit up the scroll and a brief, strong light bathed Ainz for a moment before the scroll itself disintegrated in front of them and the lighting turned back to normal. Being such a low-tier spell, Ainz's passive skills neutralized the effects the spell would have had on him immediately. The adventurers all sighed with relief.

"Could it have failed? Can we tell if it worked?"

"If the spell failed to take hold, the scroll wouldn't have been consumed. No, it worked." The druid said.

Gazef sighed as well, before finally sheathing his weapon. "It looks like I owe you an apology, Sir Ainz. Forgive my ignorance." he said as he bowed to Ainz.

"Your reaction was understandable." Ainz said as he waved off his concern.

"If I may make a suggestion, Sir Ainz? Perhaps you should keep the mask on until we return to Re-Estize and speak with the King. He's a good man, he will know what to do." Gazef assured Ainz.

"I have no intention of inciting a panic. I will do as you ask." Ainz said as he retrieved his mask and put it back on.

* * *

_Somewhere outside E-Rantel, a few days later  
_

"I already told you, it's _your_ time to check. I did it the past three times already." The gruff voice of one of the guardsmen told another of his co-workers. "Now get up there." the man said, pointing at one of the underground base's entrances; that of a ladder connected to a ground hatch.

"Ol' right, ol' right. I got it, ya bleedin' arse!" the other guard mumbled as he scratched his crotch before he started the short climb up the ladder. Even at his slow pace, it didn't take long before he arrived at the hatch that was secured with a latch of rope, which he unwound and pushed at the hatch just enough to peek around the outside.

This particular entrance to their underground hidden base was a hatched floor nestled in a rocky outcropping a few miles or so away from the main road that lead to E-Rantel's Northern Gate. Travel through the area was sparse since the undead attack on E-Rantel, but even so sometimes zombies shambled aimlessly outside the city. A sizeable army had passed by several days ago, cleaning out the undead inhabitants of the forest and the city as they did so as well as causing the guards' boss to lock down the underground base, no one went in or out. Once it was clear that the traffic had stopped and most of the troops had left, the guards began checking the surrounding areas at several intervals.

Seeing no movement from the outside, the guard checking the exit swiftly closed the hatch back down and began his descent back to his post. "Bring the runner, it's still clear outside." he said to the other guard. Soon a boy in shabby clothing, not quite a man but not a child either, was brought before the guards.

"Take a message to the boss." the other guard commanded, as he held up a copper piece. "The West entrance is still clear." he said as he waited for the boy to repeat what he had told him.

"West entrance - it be clear." the boy said as he eyed the copper piece, which was flipped to him to land in the dirt.

"Good." said the guard. "Now, piss off."

The boy took off down the tunnel without looking back.

_A short time later…  
Death Spreading Brigade's Headquarters_

"_What?!_" An old woman's voice cried out. "You can't just _leave!_ I said I would cooperate_ if_ you got my grandson out too-!"

"_Look _Lizzie, I said we would _try_ to find him. _Try._ And we _did_ try. It would have been better for us as well, if we got not one but _two_ people with a gift for alchemy. But the fact is, we never found any trace of him outside of your home. Maybe he's alive, maybe he's dead. Either way, we did what we could, but we can't stay here any more." a well-dressed man with a goatee and sandy-colored hair said to the old woman, the renowned alchemist in E-Rantel known as Lizzy Bariere. "And if you know what's good for you, if you want to find out if your grandson _did_ survive, then you'll keep cooperating." the man said as he glowered at Lizzie. Before long the sound of footsteps echoed off the walls of the main part of the cave that they were in, followed by the sound of someone yawning loudly as they grew closer.

"Aaahhh…" the new arrival, a blue-haired man built both sleek and powerful wearing chainmail yawned as he came towards Lizzie and the other man. "Man, it so dark in here all the time, it's hard to stay awake." he said as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Brain," the man with the goatee smiled. "Good to see you, is everything ready to go?" he asked.

"I think we're just waiting on the final check-ins." Brain said. "Where exactly are we going? I can't imagine we'll be staying around E-Rantel... all the nobles left ages ago and most of those that have stayed are poor."

"You're right." the other man nodded. "If there's anything to be said about _The Death Spreading Brigade_ mercenary company, it's that we're survivors - and sometimes you must adapt to survive, both in war _and _in peace." he said as he looked back at Brain Unglaus, the Ace-in-the-hole for his group. "E-Rantel is going to be dried up for a while… luckily for us though, I know of some people with an organization in Re-Estize that could use people like us… and their business is booming, from what I'm told. Also, fortunately for us, not only do they have an interest in hired hands, they are also looking for accomplished alchemists for some of their more… popular products." the man said as he looked at his elderly cooperative prisoner, Lizzie.

"Re-Estize, huh…" Brain mused, thinking of his final fight in the Grand Tournament that he dueled Gazef Stronoff in so long ago. _'You might have beaten me back then Gazef, but I'm a changed man now. Not only stronger and faster, but I've thrown away all the things that tied me down, that kept me from reaching my true potential… family, friends, honor… what is all of that next to the strong? It is the strong who make the rules and the weak who must live by them… I'm at my peak now, Gazef… I'm ready to face you._

"What's this organization called?" Brain asked.

"Eight Fingers."

* * *

**A/N:** Whew! It has been almost 9 months since my last update. Nine months. Women have had babies sooner than that! -_- As for the delay, there isn't really an excuse. I was stuck on the execution of this chapter for a long time and none of the scenes really 'clicked' for me the way I wanted - and the longer I put it off the less inclined I was to write at all. So, to my readers: _I'm sorry. _

I have gratitude to everyone that continues to read and especially those that offer advice through critic and reviews. I have learned a lot through writing this and I still have a _lot_ to work on, so thank you so much! I've also started getting beta readers as well, so yay! (thanks Ulbert!)

Side note: We have only a little bit to go before we reach what I consider the end of _'Volume 1'_ for _Account Upgrade_. I think you all can see where we'll be taking Volume 2. ;)  
Thank you for reading and reviewing! Reviewers from the hiatus listed below! 3

**FF reviewers:  
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**AO3 reviewers:**

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	12. Nine Worlds One Tomb

_A/N: Beta'd by Buf_Buoda and Ulbert on atheistbasementdragon's Overlord Fanfiction Discord server. Thanks guys._

* * *

_Eryuuentiu_  
_Central Treasury_

The gleaming figure of a majestic dragon, twitched and moved… much like a dog in a dream-like state.

_Inside the Chamber of the First, a name bestowed upon by the age-old dragons of legend and seat of their unmatched power and glory, a young dragon kneeled before his father - the reigning Dragon Emperor that sat upon his throne._

_ "Father… please! There must be some other way… you don't have to go out to meet them! Let the others go in your stead. It's you who bring our people together, if we lose you - the others in the dragon council - they will go their own ways!" the young dragon pleaded before his father._

_ "Tsaindorcus Vaision, you will stop this nonsense at once." his father coldly said. Like his son, they both shared the same gleaming scales, only the Dragon Emperor's scales had a slight rainbow hue to them. "You're the son of the Dragon Emperor and standing before me, you will act like it." he said as he stood on his massive, ancient legs as he descended the stairs towards his son._

_ He stood before his son for a moment before finally laying a hand on his son's shoulder to pull him up, his voice slowly losing its edge as he spoke. "It is us that brought these people… these __players__ to our lands. More specifically, it is because of our… because of __my__ greed that they are here. So it falls to me to set things right."_

_ "But Father-" the youngling, Tsaindorcus started to say._

_ "They did spill our blood first, son. War is confusing in that way. But, they wish to parlay for peace, and as Emperor it falls to me to make the decision. And my decision is to try to make an offer of peace with them. For all our sake." the Emperor spoke. "Several of the other Dragon Lords are going with me, just in case things go wrong… But watch, Tsa, your old pop will be back and you'll feel foolish for your actions today." he said as he grinned at his son, they both knew it was a rare, private moment for them._

_ Several minutes passed between them and as the Dragon Emperor was about to leave, he stopped. "Tsa," he said, looking out over the Dragon's City. "If I don't come back… back in my room there is a plain-looking case, under a loose tile by the nest." he said as he turned to look at his son, as serious as death. "Take it and run. Everything is explained inside… but run, get strong, and grow old my son." They held eye contact for some moments before the Dragon Emperor seemed satisfied and turned to leave._

_ Tsaindorcus Vaision, the Platinum Dragon Lord, never saw his father again after that day._

Tsaindorcus awoke with a start and bared his fangs at his surroundings before he slowly realised where he was at. Safely tucked away in the old 'Greed King' city of Eryuuentiu, inside the floating island that served as its capital. The desert surrounding the city was vast and yet water flowed from the floating island into the age-old city. Even after all these years, Tsain was grateful that this particular magic of the beings known as _players_ still worked, otherwise protecting the items they left behind would be more difficult if he still needed to hunt and trade for necessities.

He grabbed the item he always kept close-by his form, the [Mirror of Remote Viewing] left behind by the players and activated it. It took some time but he finally managed to track down the group of humans he had been tracking, the blasted 'Black Scripture' of the Slane Theocracy.

_If only you could see the Theocracy now, Surshana. The depths that they have fallen to..._

The Slane Theocracy had not always been the twisted, xenophobic zealots that they were in the current age. Under Surshana's leadership hundreds of years ago, humans had flourished from near-extinction, elevating quickly to join the rest of the civilized nations of the continent. Tsaindorcus considered Surshana an honorable and reasonable man among the players, alongside the likes of the Leader of the Thirteen Heroes, and had briefly considered forming an alliance with him against the Eight Greed Kings… before they had killed him.

The item the Black Scripture possessed was an abomination whose power Tsaindorcus felt immense revulsion for. Dragons were by their very nature immune to mind-control, yet this item somehow bypassed it. Looking closely at the group, he saw that they still had it. The image of a dress with, ironically, a golden dragon emblazoned upon it.

This item alone was the cause of a few of the Platinum Dragon Lord's kin to meet their end. Noting their location within the Great Forest of Tob, not exceedingly far from where he had stashed his enchanted armor, he began to get a more general view of the surroundings nearby.

_…_  
_ …_  
_ …_  
_ Why can't I see E-Rantel and what is with this block? The mirror should work fine outdoors. I could sense the evil from that border city even without seeing it just yesterday, and now - nothing?_ The Platinum Dragon Lord's mind grew weary as he performed some quick mental calculations. _It's been about... 100 years. Is this… _

_ Is this the beginning of another wave of players?_

* * *

_Nazarick_  
_9th Floor_

"Albedo, do you remember that night we spent talking under the stars?" Ainz asked as the two walked through the path on the 9th floor that would lead them to the 10th floor and their destination: the Throne Room of Nazarick. The Staff of Ainz of Ainz Ooal Gown created a soft _'tap tap tap'_ upon the velvet rug that lined the hallway. Albedo herself had suggested that they teleport, but Lord Ainz had declined, saying he preferred to walk instead.

"I could not forget it if I tried, my lord." came her reply. "You taught me a great many things." she said smiling.

"Did I? Hmm…" Ainz mused. It was quiet for some moments before he spoke again. "You asked me something back then that I did not answer. Do you remember that?"

Albedo's steps faltered for a moment, before she continued. "I do. I asked you what you planned to do here in the New World… so that I and the rest of Nazarick might help make it a reality, my lord."

They both paused as they passed by one of the maid servants, who greeted them with a bow and hurried "Lord Ainz, Lady Albedo." before Ainz motioned the girl to continue what she was doing.

"Your question has been in my mind since then, Albedo." Ainz said as he watched the maid move into an adjacent room to clean. "After what we've learned today, I think I have your answer." Ainz said as they turned a corner and Albedo knew they did not have far to go until the Throne Room.

"I'm listening, my lord." she said, with her usual demure smile, ready to commit his words to memory.

He turned to look back at her for a moment. "Of course I wish to find out if the other Supreme Beings are here, as well as ensuring Nazarick's survival in this world - those are the easy answers." Ainz said. "Outside of that though, that is where I had to really think." he said as they rounded the final corner and came to stop in front of the grand double doors that lead to the throne room.

"Albedo, out of everyone here you know most of the world I came from, from before Yggdrasil. That polluted, corrupted world that humans killed each other for before they turned on that very world itself. Where constructions of steel and metal were more common than those of life and trees." Ainz said as he took her hand to feel the warmth, which increased along with her heart rate. "Seeing this world, Albedo, really _seeing_ it and all it's beauty... seeing what the humans before _could _have had and chose not to... it makes me know what I want."

Satoru Suzuki was never an environmentalist in the real world. That much was certain. But after coming to the New World he slowly started to see why Blue Planet was so passionate. Seeing Yggdrasil, as a fantasy game, was one thing. Seeing a real, breathing world that was so fresh, lifelike, and still full of vitality. "I want to preserve this world, Albedo." he said. "Truly. That is my answer. Outside of that… we'll find that out along the way."

Albedo fully understood now. _To do that, Lord Ainz… that is why you must take over the world._ _They will not stop their self-destructive ways, so we must make them. _Albedo smiled. "Then let's consider ourselves 'Caretakers of the New World', Lord Ainz."

Ainz's laughter boomed throughout the hallway and even partially into the throne room. "You're right. Let's go, Albedo." he said as he opened the doors to the Throne Room of Nazarick.

Ainz, flanked by his trusted aide Albedo, entered the Grand Throne Room of Nazarick as he had been notified all the Floor Guardians had been assembled. It had been nearly two months since Satoru and the rest of Nazarick had arrived in this new world and other than the first day since the transfer, they had not all been gathered in one place like this since then. Ainz liked to think that Albedo and the others' serious demeanors were evidence that they picked up on this… although it was more likely that this was how they always acted around him.

Satoru would compare it to his own behavior when the big boss of a company would pay his office a visit. He distantly remembered such events to be highly stressful, even if the company wanted a 'relaxed atmosphere', it would be anything but. Most employees felt that no matter how good-natured your boss appeared to be, if you said or did the wrong thing your career was toast. Several companies had taken to having annual meetings and training about how to be a good employee. Satoru, who did not drink, clearly remembered a time when his office had the company of an executive who liked to drink. The rule was: If your boss wanted to do something, you did it with them, to show your support as a good employee. What resulted from that as most of Satoru's co-workers were competent, they had all gone out drinking with the boss and being unused to such levels of alcohol most of his team was too hungover to work the following day. It was only the boss's off-handed comment that he had had a good time with Satoru's group that saved some of them from being disciplined - even fired.

Satoru did not want Nazarick to turn into that type of work environment, as he observed all the Guardians kneeling in reverence to him. Even after this amount of time, it brought some discomfort from his years as an office worker to be suddenly revered so passionately. "Thank you all for coming." he said as he ascended the steps to the Throne of Kings.

"We. Will. Always. Come. When. You. Call. Lord. Ainz." The other guardians nodded their agreement to Cocytus's words as Ainz sat himself with a practiced flourish upon the Throne.

"This pleases me." Ainz said. Satoru had learned long ago that the NPCs of Nazarick relaxed most when he used this phrase. It still held true as there was a noticeable difference in their demeanor. Aura, Mare, and Shalltear even smiled. "You may all rise. Nazarick has come across some important… no, _critical_ information recently, and it concerns all of us."

"Where to begin…?" Ainz sighed as he looked around him at the majestic room he and his friends had created. A moment passed that no one else in the room seemed to want to break. "I suppose it's best to start from the beginning…" Ainz said wistfully. _Maybe they would best understand from the perspective from the lore of Yggdrasil?_

"Before I begin, I just want to say that if anyone has any questions or comments, please raise your hand to speak freely after I am done explaining. It is important that everyone here understands just how serious of an issue this is." Ainz said as he locked eyes with each of them to get his point across. After several nods he continued. "Not many of you know of this, but back in the ga-... back in Yggdrasil, when the world was first born… There was only a giant tree. Upon this tree were countless leaves among it. It was known as the World Tree: Yggdrasil "

Everyone in the throne room waited with rapt attention, Mare most of all. _Druids._ Satoru smiled inwardly.

"Then, one day, a gigantic monster appeared and began devouring the tree, leaf by leaf. The tree could not fight the monster back by itself, so it began to use it's power to create the elements to defend and strengthen itself, and so: Light, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Dark, and Time were made. By the time these elements could be brought to bear, there were only Nine leaves left upon the World Tree. The rest had been eaten and resided within the monster's gullet. The ensuing battle was fierce, but with the combined power of the elements the monster was pushed back from the tree, though it could not slay the Devourer. After this, the remaining nine leaves of the World Tree were given names."

"Asgard." Ainz said as he brought up a map from Nazarick's archives upon the security screen so that all could see. "Múspellsheim." he said as he brought up another map to accompany the first. For each name he displayed an accompanying map.

"Jötunheim."  
"Midgard."  
"Álfheim."  
"Niȭavelir."  
"Niflheim."  
"Vanaheim."

"Finally, the last leaf. The one The Devourer tries it's hardest to get to… Helheim." Ainz said as he again, pulled up the final map. He set it up so that it was quite a bit larger than the others, so they could see it more clearly. There, marked with a player-made waypoint marker, was a spot upon the map etched with a single name of a place inside the huge 'Grenbera Swamp'.

_The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick_ it said… and the room turned chaotic with all the commotion for a moment.

"_Eeeeehhhh?!"_

"This. Is…!"

"What the…!?"

"Oh my…"

"Nazarick is…!"

_"Silence!"_ Albedo shouted over the others as she glared at them. "Lord Ainz said to hold your questions until he is finished!" she reminded them. Several of the Guardians bowed their heads in apology.

"I understand this may come as a surprise to you all… to be clear: Before coming to this New World, Nazarick was indeed located within a shard, or 'leaf', of the World Tree. But, that is not the main reason why I am disclosing this information to you." Ainz said. "I am telling you so that you understand the _scope_ of what I am about to say."

"For every leaf, every _world_ that was eaten by The Devourer… the sheer power of that world was condensed into a single object, a single item that formed within the monster's stomach. It would not be inaccurate to say that these items held the power of an entire world, and so they were named just that: World Items." Ainz said, letting what he was telling them sink in for a moment before he continued. "In all, there are 200 World Items. 200 leaves of the World Tree that were eaten. Thanks to the combined efforts of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, myself and the other 40 Supreme Beings have collected 11 of these items in the name of Nazarick."

Albedo gasped and pulled Ginnungagap, the small wand that her creator had given her before he left. "Lord Tabula…" she whispered, clutching the weapon. She lost herself in the memory of when he had given it to her.

_"Eh, Momonga might be upset that I'm giving you this without everyone's consent… but it's not like it will leave the base, so it should be ok, right? It shouldn't be just collecting dust like the others… take care of it for me, would you Albedo?" Tabula said._

If Lord Tabula had given her such a powerful item, she would give her life to protect it. "...Thank you." she whispered to her creator as she cradled the weapon against her. It bothered her that her own creator had went behind her beloved's back to give her such a mighty weapon, but she was thankful that she could use it to protect her beloved... that might even have been why he had given it to her in the first place.

"As for why you're all here…" Ainz said, not knowing Albedo's thoughts. "We have recently come to learn some troubling news, thanks in no small part to Demiurge's efforts." Ainz said as he and the rest of the Guardians looked at the powerful demon. "The people of this New World are also in possession of these World Items, or at least items that equal their power." Ainz said finally.

Ainz turned towards Albedo, who was still clutching Ginnungagap. "Albedo, if you would…?" Albedo nodded, pulled a small stack of papers she had prepared and moved to distribute them among the guardians. "These items we have identified as being dangerous enough to be considered a World-level item. Study them carefully. As we find new items, Albedo will update you on the additions."

"Furthermore, I am declaring here and now that any Floor Guardian that leaves Nazarick does not do so without an armed escort of at least 5 level 75 or above entities accompanying them, and that each Guardian is also armed their own World-level item." Several more gasps were heard through the room at that, before Shalltear's hand shot up into the air to ask a question.

"Shalltear, you have something to say?" Ainz asked, motioning for her to speak.

"Yes, Lord Ainz. If these items are so important, why would we be allowed to leave the Great Tomb with them? Wouldn't it be safer if you were armed with all of these items to help protect yourself, my lord? You are the most important person here. The Last Supreme Being." Shalltear said, with several of the other Guardians voicing their agreements.

"A valid question." Ainz said as he got up from the throne to approach Shalltear. "Shalltear, answer me honestly. What is Nazarick to you?"

"Err… It's my home, Lord Ainz." she said, blushing under his scrutiny. "The perfect, beautiful paradise for us created by you and the other Supreme Beings."

"And what about you, Cocytus? What is Nazarick to you?" Ainz prodded.

"A. Place. Of. Unmatched. Strength. And. Honor. Lord. Ainz."

"Demiurge?"

"The most sophisticated place in the world, Lord Ainz. A place where the greatest plans of this world are created, The Jewel of the World."

"Aura?"

"It's the best place ever made!" she said, with a gushing smile on her face.

"Mare?"

"A place I c-can be myself, where I have a p-purpose to the Supreme Ones."

"What about you, Albedo?"

"Nazarick is where I was created… but even so as long as I have you, Lord Ainz, as long as _we_ have you, that is what truly makes me happy."

Satoru would certainly have blushed at such a statement and dispersed the embarrassment with a fake cough. "Ahem… Yes, you're all right, in your own way. Nazarick is also all of these things to me. My home. A land of strength and memories…" Ainz laughed a moment at Aura's words, "It very well could be the best place ever made." he said assuredly. "But, it is not just because of the other Supreme Beings that makes me feel this way."

"Seeing you all here… it brings me great joy, so much so that it surprises me sometimes. If anything were to happen to any of you, it would leave a very heavy weight upon my heart." Ainz said as he bent down to pat Mare and Aura on their heads (which caused jealous looks from Shalltear and Albedo). "You all are Nazarick to me. The other Supreme Being's last gifts to me... and I wouldn't trade such a gift: any of you, for the whole world."

"Lord A-ainz…" Aura sniffed as her monochromatic eyes started to glisten with tears. Her brother was in much the same state for a moment before he burst into a heart-wrenching wail that betrayed the happiness of his tears and emotions that he couldn't keep in check. Mare started to break down clutching his staff like a lifeline before the twins were enveloped in a hug by Ainz, whom they clutched to. In the distance, Albedo as well as Shalltear grew misty-eyed as well, with Demiurge and Cocytus stoically bowing their heads.

Time dragged on for some minutes before things were composed once more, and Ainz felt confident everything was taken care of before continuing. "Having a World Item grants you protection from other World Items… at least, in everything but a physical nature. That is why I wish for you to have them."

"Make no mistake, we have been lucky so far. I didn't think there was a possibility that World-level items existed in this world. I was wrong and I wish to correct this error before something irreversible happens." Ainz said as he began ascending to the Throne and sat down with a flourish. "Demiurge. Step forward."

Demiurge did so quickly. "Lord?"

"Since you were responsible for finding out this information, I wish to give you a reward. Name it." Ainz said.

"You jest, my lord." Demiurge said smirking. "It was through _your _actions that this discovery was made known to Nazarick. Once you became personally involved, there could be no other outcome." The other guardians looked at Ainz in reverence and agreement.

"No. It was through your investigation that the pieces fell into place." Ainz said in disagreement. "It would please me greatly if you would just accept my generosity. I simply wish to reward you for your efforts. Name your reward, now." Ainz commanded.

"As you wish." Demiurge said in resigned agreement, thinking. _The next stage of Lord Ainz' plan will surely be… _ "Should the need arise, I would like to humbly lead the next part of your Great Plan, my lord."

_What is he talking about?_ Satoru wondered. "Great Plan?"

"That exact one." Demiurge said as he smirked.

_That… doesn't tell me anything_ Satoru thought as he glanced at the other guardians, who seemed not as clueless as he was. "Could you err… explain what you think that might be? Speak frankly, please."

_Ahh, you mean explain clearly to the other guardians_ Demiurge realised. "Ofcourse, Lord. Naturally, since we are now aware of the existence of these World Items, I wish to lead the force we will assemble to investigate these items." Demiurge said as his tail showed some of his excitement as it wagged lazily in the air behind him. "To be clear: I wish to lead the investigation into the Slane Theocracy, the one you are already planning."

_What? Well… I guess that could be a logical conclusion, but I was more worried about developing the countermeasures before tracking them down… but Demiurge is right, we need more information on these items _Ainz thought. "Mmm? You want more work as a reward?" Ainz asked. At the demon's nod, Ainz replied. "Granted. It goes without saying that this mission will be your highest priority." Satoru didn't want to throw too much work at Demiurge, but there wasn't much he could do if the man requested it. If Ainz denied a reward without a valid reason like that there might be some resentment so it couldn't be helped. _With everything out of the way now…_

"That about covers everything I wished to discuss with you all. If anyone has any questions, please speak to Albedo for any further questions or information you require. One final thing, if you please, Demiurge?" Ainz asked.

"Lord?" Demiurge said as he raised his head higher.

"I may have thought of a suitable punishment for Clementine, I would like to hear your thoughts on it." Ainz said. "Your little side project… err, that farm of yours..." Ainz clarified after realising Demiurge had quite a few projects in the works. "All those animals seems like quite a lot of work. The Albelion Sheep was it...? Do you think helping out there would teach her a little discipline?" Ainz asked sincerely.

Demiurge felt his serious disposition crack as a smile appeared on his face, though he quickly covered it up as he looked away and cupped his chin in a thinking gesture.

_So that's how it is. Lord Ainz wishes to continue that game right now and with an audience? First one to laugh loses, then? _Demiurge thought. "That's right, my lord. Yes, we could always use extra personnel. These 'Albelion Sheep' are a particularly rowdy bunch, you see. They commonly run amuk if given the chance." Demiurge said.

"Really?" Ainz asked, surprised. "Well, I guess that's to be expected. They were, until recently, wild animals. Hopefully after a few generations of being domesticated they will be a little more manageable." he mused to himself as an afterthought.

_As expected of Lord Ainz! If I didn't already know we were playing this game I would have found his tone genuine._ Demiurge felt his masked slip again at his lord's response. "Ofcourse, my lord. It is the way of such things." he said as he tried to think of a way to turn it around on his lord. "But yes, I do believe some good, _honest_ _work_ would be a suitable punishment if you wished it, my lord."

"Yes, I do believe some manual labor is best suited for this type of punishment." Ainz said, attempting to convey he didn't want Demiurge tasking her with small chores.

"I believe tending to the 'Sheep' will be an excellent experience: _feeding _them, spreading their _manure_ for the other crops, and so on." Demiurge urged on.

_Lord Ainz knows full well we never requisitioned any food from Nazarick's stores. Omnivores can feed off each other so why waste Nazarick's resources? _Demiurge thought. _Hmm… I should talk to Pestonya to see if we can get 'Albelion Sheep' on the menu for Nazarick. Hah! Lord Ainz would surely appreciate the attention to detail in our little game with that move! _

"We might even be able to cultivate them as an alternative food source for Nazarick, my lord. I've received no complaints on the taste so far, some of the demon tribes we've encountered even find them to be a delicacy." Demiurge said with not a little bit of mirth.

_Oh good, he understands what I'm saying. _Ainz thought in relief. _A little too descriptive for my taste, but Demiurge always is one for details and it doesn't hurt to be thorough. _he conceded. Ainz also noticed that when Demiurge talked about these creatures lately his serious mood seemed to shift to happiness. _Demiurge likes tending to animals? Huh, I never thought something so physical would be a creative outlet for someone like him… although I guess you could say the same thing about me. Yggdrasil was my escape from that corrupt modern world, so we're alike in that regard I suppose._

"Hmm, it's too bad that I can't enjoy eating in my current state." Ainz said with not a little bit of melancholy. "I might have liked to try some."

Demiurge, not able to take it anymore, trembled for a moment with silent laughter as he thought _A-as expected of my lord… such h-humour!_

Ainz saw Demiurge trembling and was briefly concerned that the throne room might be too cold and he simply didn't notice as he was immune to cold as an undead. _Hmm, although he is standing next to Cocytus, maybe that's the cause? Ehh, nothing to worry about now. I'll have the maids check the temperature later_ he noted as he cleared his throat and tried to put the matter out of his mind.

Demiurge mistook Ainz clearing his throat to cover up his own humour that was building as well. _It seems we are even_.

"-In any case, I fear we have gotten a little off-topic. That settles it." Ainz said with a tone of finality in his voice. Ainz turned to Albedo, who had been waiting patiently. "Bring Clementine in."

Albedo bowed and swiftly arranged for Clementine to be escorted into the throne room. A short time later Clementine entered the throne room, flanked on either side by Demiurge's subordinate bodyguards: The Evil Demon Lords of Greed and Wrath. Both of the Demon Lords followed Clementine at a distance they could pierce her with their horns if she tried to escape, as futile such an action would be within the very heart of Nazarick itself. Incidentally, she was also the first human allowed beyond the 8th floor and it was the opinion of every guardian that human blood spilled would dirty the throne room to such a degree all the maids in Nazarick would need to clean it for a full day to regain it's previous luster. It was only Lord Ainzs' will that would allow a human this far into their home, with one notable exception, on that they would all agree.

Once Clementine was brought close enough, Demiurge took responsibility for needing to show her how to greet his lord, as he used his [Command Mantra] skill to ensure she took the proper pose. "You will _bow_ before your lord." he commanded; she obeyed.

Ainz clapped for a moment. "Clementine." he said loudly. "Congratulations on seeing another sunrise. I had my doubts, but you pulled it off. It was… more than I was expecting." Ainz admitted. "As promised, your life is no longer forfeit and we might see if there can be a use for you within my realm."

"However, there is a slight problem." Ainz said as he looked at Demiurge for a moment. Giving Clementine a punishment was the Floor Guardian's idea after all. "Even though you succeeding in your primary objective, I fear you overstepped your bounds. Despite being tasked with _beating_Gazef, you very nearly _killed_ him. So, I find myself at an impasse. You succeeded and thereby guaranteed your survival, but nearly failed due to not fully understanding your mission and only succeeded because I intervened."

"Luckily for you, I am a forgiving ruler. Mistakes happen and I suppose you _have _proven to be resourceful, if nothing else. In fact, I think that particular sequence of events actually worked out in my favor so I will be lenient with your punishment. But know this, I will _not_ be so lenient a second time." Ainz warned. "As for your punishment: You will help Demiurge on his farm for a period of one month. We will see if you have learned your lesson afterwards. Do you understand?"

_A farm… is this a joke? That sounds even more boring than that bookworm Khajiit _ Clementine wondered. _I guess I have to accept._ "Yes." she said simply, able to only move her mouth slightly. When she was not released after some moments, she realised her mistake. "I mean, Yes... Lord Ainz."

* * *

_One month later…_

Clementine hugged her knees and rocked back and forth, something that brought her some comfort in the final days of her sentence. She had had a hard time keeping food down the last few days and the voices in her head had been too scared to say anything as of late; Worst of all were her thoughts that plagued her mind amid the sounds of screaming, tearing, ripping, and begging that went on around her.

_Light punishment. Lenient. I got off easy _she thought, rocking back and forth. Thankfully, Master Demiurge allowed her to rest during the nights, when the truly terrible things happened. Even now she could hear the screams of the latest unfortunate soul that Demiurge himself was working on.

People used to call her a monster, just because she liked to kill others and cause pain… it brought her comfort; causing pain fueled that narcissistic supply inside that it was _her_ that was superior, it was _her_ will that brought this upon others, and most importantly it was _her_ that was special and not her _damn brother_ that everyone always gushed over. _Fragment, _he used to call her... as if she were less than him. That she was a speck forever destined to be in his shadow.

_But those people… _she thought as she could hear hacking and heaving nearby. Demiurge had likely force-fed someone their own grinded up limbs that were then regrown to repeat the process once more. _They don't know what real monsters are. _It was not the sheer violence and torture that scared her. The screams weren't what kept her up at night... nothing as simple, as mundane as that, no.

It was that it seemed to serve _no purpose!_

No matter the result, if there were variations it was documented and tested once more. _"What is the point of this?" _she had the courage to ask a few hours ago._ "Skinning someone alive, healing them, forcing them to eat their own tissue (or sometimes siblings/family members), healing them again, and then ripping open their stomach to see what remains... why?!" _she asked after having helped with the 'procedure' to the same person several times.

Demiurge, with his claws half-way through the surgical incision, smirked and simply said, "To see what happens, of course."

Clementine didn't know if it was for madness or insanity, but what she did know was if the ordeal she went through was a merciful punishment... she would be better off ending her own life if she _truly_ made Lord Ainz angry. _But I guess, _she thought as she remembered Khajiit's undead form of a Lich. _Not even in death would I be safe._

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ aaaaaaand that's basically 'Volume 1' for Account Upgrade! Whew! Never thought the fanfic would get this far, honestly. Not to worry, not to worry! Lots of Nazarick fluff coming up featuring several Nazarickians(?) as well as expanding upon other characters. As always reviews, tips, and comments are appreciated!_

_Still looking for dedicated beta readers. Also if you enjoy reading Overlord fanfiction, consider joining atheistbasementdragon's discord server - cool folks hang out there always willing to help. :)_

_Thanks for the support! As of 1/17/20, reviews for the last chapter were:_

_FF Reviews:_  
_Epicweaver DemDazer ErrorDataExpunged_

_MarkoncioX Paradox009_  
_Awareness Bringer (reviewer since day 1, thanks!)_  
_Morality is a Spook UndeadLord22_

_Ao3 Reviews:_

_GentlemenMad LadyAnput _  
_OhGodOhNoOhFuckImGayFuckOhNo_

_Athelgar Notsae MadGreenSon_


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